


Obsessed

by Ambivalent_Amber



Category: King of the Hill
Genre: F/M, Forced Marriage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:00:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 34
Words: 83,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23808802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ambivalent_Amber/pseuds/Ambivalent_Amber
Summary: A young woman in a desperate situation takes a deal that seems too good to be true, her new roommate seems kind enough...but obsession can be a dangerous thing.
Comments: 14
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> General Disclaimer
> 
> This is a work of fiction. Any similarity to reality is a dreadful accident. I don't own King of The Hill. No profit is gained from writing these stories.
> 
> Stories by this author may briefly mention or describe in detail mature topics and triggers such as:
> 
> Crime, use of weapons, violent scenes
> 
> kidnap
> 
> Use of drugs and/or alcohol
> 
> Death, blood and some gore
> 
> Violence and abuse-both physical and verbal. Non-consensual sex.
> 
> Foul language
> 
> Mental illness, suicide, emotional trauma
> 
> Abortion and forced abortion
> 
> Stories by this author are not intended to offend, encourage violence, or eroticize rape. However, sensitive readers should not continue.

"How hard can it be to find a place to rent." The slim brunette mumbled as she hurriedly scrolled through Craigslist listings while her parents screamed on the other side of the thin door. She had always had a feeling this day was coming, so she worked her ass off every summer to make enough money in preparation. She had finally been kicked out. Her parents had been "kind" enough to allow her 24 hours to pack up and leave, though it didn't seem like it from the vitriol they were spewing at her, and each other.

She was supposed to be their miracle baby. The one to save their marriage, and when that didn't pan out all the blame was placed on her. Sure, they did normal family things, but every fight between her parents suddenly became her fault. Things were mostly okay when they weren't fighting. Now their new solution was to boot her out because she was nothing but a "mooching bum".

After scrolling through countless listings, she had found one that seemed promising if not a little desperate within her budget. "Almost anything goes…no curfew...friendship? $200 a month for a room." She mumbles to herself as she shoots a quick email to the ad poster, hoping she would get a quick reply. After a few moments she realized it was strangely quiet and sighed in relief.

While waiting she began to pack up everything she could possibly fit into two duffel bags and a large luggage bag. Which consisted mostly of video games and clothes she had bought with the money she had earned over the years. She groaned in frustration as she realized she may have to walk since she didn't have a car or a license for that matter since her parents wouldn't allow it.

After finishing her packing, she checked for a response and was delighted to see one so soon. She quickly replied and made her transportation dilemma known. Nervously waiting for the next reply, she chewed her nails as she stared at the ceiling. A few minutes later she got the response and read in surprise this person was willingly to pick her up. Turns out they lived in the same city of Arlen. They worked out the logistic details with a few more emails. Tomorrow morning at 9am.

She felt excited and nervous at the same time. She had never been even slept over at another person's house. That means she would have to get a real job as her savings would probably be gone within two months. Sleeping would be futile as too much was on her mind and much to her annoyance she had already packed her Xbox.

Hours passed by, the sun began to peek over the horizon as she finally passed out. The barely legal woman snored away until she was jolted awake by her parents screeching her name.

She cracked open her door," What?" She asked them, preparing herself for more yelling.

"Who the fuck is this at the door Emily?!" Her mother screeched.

Emily shuffled down the hallway to the front door to see a middle-aged man standing there. "You must be Bill." She said tiredly.

"Yes!-"He said as he was interrupted by her dad.

"What does this fat fuck want to do with you?" Her dad demanded.

"That is my new roommate." She said through clenched teeth as she turned to retrieve her things. "I'll grab my bags, be right back."

"You're not going anywhere with this pervert Emily!" Her dad yelled as he was right behind her.

"You left me no fucking choice Dad!" She spat angrily as she quickly shouldered two of her bags and dragged the other behind her as she pushed past her father trying to block her path.

"I'm calling the cops!" Her mother yelled as she began dialing.

"This is fucking ridiculous!" Emily screamed as she made it the front door, shoving her suit case in Bill's empty hands. "Let's get the fuck out of here man." She said already halfway down the driveway.

Her father chased them both down the driveway and grabbed the back of her shirt making her footing unsteady. "You better get your fucking ass back in that fucking house now!" He screamed as he yanked her backwards. She manages to twist out of his grasp and sprints to the brown car ahead. She shoves her bags through the window and quickly get in.

"You kicked me out for fucks sake!" She shouts as she locked the door.

"You're not going anywhere with this pig!" Her mother shouted as she tried to open the car door.

Emily buckled the seatbelt, "Just fucking drive man."

"Emily!" Her parents yelled simultaneously.

"I'm 18! I can legally move out. I'll send you a letter eventually, love you bye!" She shouted as they began to pull away. Emily ran her fingers through her long tangled wavy brown hair.

"Sorry about that." She said as she stretched and yawned.

"That's alright, are they always like that?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'd rather not talk about right now if that's okay." Emily shook her head as she stared at the passing scenery. Bill nodded as he made a left turn. A few minutes he looked over to see she had fallen asleep.

She slowly wakes up as a few car doors slam shut and stumbles out of the vehicle almost face planting the cement. A quick look around tells her they have arrived at what would be her home for an unknown amount of time. She spotted Bill almost in the house carrying all her bags. Shrugging, she made her way inside as well.

Upon entering she noticed a wooden spool table in the living room and a dirty couch behind it. She pursed her lips and wondered what she got herself into, hoping he wasn't a slob.

"This is your room." He said excitedly as he reappeared in front of her.

"Cool." She said a bit uneasy.

"And that is the kitchen and the bathroom." He said pointing in said directions.

"Alright thanks, I'm going to go unpack and crash if you don't mind." She said as she was already in her new room for the time being.

"Okay, see ya later." He said awkwardly as she shut the door and stood there staring for a few minutes.


	2. Chapter 2

The sight of the peeling paint in the corners of the room made Emily cringe. "Home sweet home…." She muttered quietly as she got to work setting up her small TV and xbox, wondering if she made the right choice. After all she knew nothing of her new roommate. He couldn't be any worse then the constant bickering she had to deal with day in and day out, right? Her mind wondered to her parents for a moment, shrugging as she would call them sometime after things calmed down a bit.

It was so strange being in another person's house without her parents. The one time she had been alone in someone else's home was with her grandma, whom she had only seen a handful of times in her life. Which was a shame as Emily would have liked to have visited her more often for she was a sweet woman.

She finished plugging everything in and put all of her games neatly into one of the dresser drawers. Unpacking was exhausting for her so she grabbed one of her Monster energy drinks and swiftly opened a can, some of the contents splashing on her hands. She wiped her wet hand on her jeans and took a few large sips, contemplating on whether to stay in the room or go see what Bill was up to and do proper introductions. That made her nervous as she was mostly shy in person. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Sooner or later she'd have to get the wifi password.

She took a moment to really take in the room, it was an average sized room, bigger than hers which was a bonus, it had a dresser, twin bed, and nightstand. It wasn't a bad set up. The curtains were a fading blue color and it did smell a bit musty. Hopefully nothing an air freshener couldn't fix. She took another sip and considered what to do next since she had a nap and unpacked everything. She checked the time on her phone. 3:37pm. Emily was hoping she could pay him for the month and work out the grocery issue along with household rules and responsibilities. It was a lot more complicated than she had originally thought last night. At the time all she cared about was making her get away.

The brunette tentatively stepped out of the room and looked around. She peeked into the living room to find it empty, then the kitchen to find it was also unoccupied. Maybe he was busy or something she shrugged as she returned to her room to fetch a few energy drinks to put in the fridge. As she put them in the fridge she noticed some lunch meat, her stomach reminded her she hadn't eaten today. "Maybe he wouldn't mind me making a tiny sandwich." She mutters softly to herself as she got what she needed and quickly put together a ham sandwich.

She put everything away and wolfed down her sandwich, barely tasting it. "Hope he won't mind." She whispered to herself as she looked around for the wifi router. She peeked into what looked like a small office to see the router sitting on a small chip bag covered desk. "Oh?" She whispers and wrote down the code on her palm with one of the pen strewn about. She quickly retreated to her room like a child almost caught with it's hand in the cookie jar.

Once the Internet connection was established she decided to play a few games of infection on Halo 5. She groaned as she was the alpha zombie in the first go. Taking another sip of her Monster she crouched her spartan and waited for one of the humans to pass by. First one spotted her quickly and and killed her. She scoffed and took another sip of her beverage.

Several games later she left her room in hopes of talking to Bill. She spotted him watching TV in the living room. "Oh hey..." She said awkwardly with her hands in her jean pockets.

"Emily! Have you settled in? Would you want to watch something or maybe play a board game or something?" He said in excitement.

Emily stiffened at the sudden barrage of words. She looked down awkwardly unsure of how to

respond. "Um, I'm fine, I wanted to talk about rent and things like that, if that's okay?" She said and bit her lip nervously.

"Yeah, come have a seat, I won't bite." He said as he scooted over to make room for her.

She sat on the opposite end to him and stared at the table. "Uh here's this month's rent." She says as she quickly places it on the table,"How is the food thing going to work? Would I need to buy my own food and stuff like that?" She asked as her words almost blurred together.

"Oh don't worry about that, just let me know if there's anything you'd like. We could cook together, oh it'll be so much fun!" He said almost on the edge of his seat with excitement.

"Um, yeah, that would be cool..." She said mumbled shyly.

"Are you okay?" He said a bit worried.

"Oh, yeah, never really been on my own." She laughed nervously as she wrung her hands.

"Well don't worry, we'll be good friends in no time." He said cheerfully.

"Heh...yeah." She mumbled uncomfortably.

"I'll order us a pizza! What kind of toppings do you want?" He said with his cordless house phone in hand already dialing.

"Uh um, pepperoni would be fine." She said barely above a whisper.

"You sure?" He asked.

She nodded as she knew hardly anyone liked Hawaiian pizza and she didn't want to make a bad impression for asking for her own. She almost missed being at home, it was strange for there not to be constant arguing, unsure of how to handle the current situation now that she was going to be living in a perfect stranger's home.

"So what do you want to watch?" He asked as soon as he hung up, practically bouncing in place.

"Well I have the Alien Anthology." She said quietly, hoping he would be okay with that.

"Oh those are classics." He said barely hiding the fact that he didn't know what Alien or Anthology meant as he got the DVD player ready.

"I'll go get it then." Emily said quietly as she silently made her way to her room to fetch said item. She handed the first disc carefully to Bill, watching him like hawk with her precious disc.

They settled in on opposite ends of the couch and watched the movie silently while waiting for the pizza. About twenty minutes into the movie the door bell rung, causing Emily to visibly jump. She took a deep breath and placed her hand over her chest.

Bill paid the delivery guy and set the pizza down on the table in front of them. Emily spent nearly a minute pondering painstakingly which slices to pick out as she didn't want to seem like a pig, but she also wanted to get enough. She groaned internally as she hesitantly picked out a slice. The girl took a small bite and savored it for it had been a long time since she had pizza.

She had to stop herself at three slices and opted to sip on her energy drink from earlier. Things were picking up in the movie and when the xenomorph finally appeared Bill shrieked loudly startling the brunette. He smiled sheepishly and turned back to the screen. She took a few deep breaths and another sip of her beverage. She noticed he had scooted a bit closer after his bout and wiped his greasy fingers on his knees. Emily tried her best to not make a face and pay attention to the movie.

Once the movie was over she retrieved her disc and carefully put it back in it's case. She returned it to it's place in her room shaking her head at how he jumped a lot for the duration. It wasn't really scary at all. She shrugged and sat down on her bed for a few moments, unsure of what to do.

"Emily?" Bill nervously called her name after a few minutes.

"Yeah?" She shouted back, startled by the suddenness of noise, and begrudgingly made her way back to the living room.

"What do you want to do next?" He asked over excitedly as he was bouncing in place.

"Uh, I would like to stay in my room for a little bit if that's okay." Emily said with her head slightly lowered whilst nervously biting her lip.

"Oh okay, that's fine, we'll catch up later then." He said, barely masking his disappointment. He watched her disappear into her room, staring after her. Well it was her first day here maybe she just needs a little time to adjust. He sighed and sat back down, flipping to a random station on the TV.

Emily settled on playing Hardline and got swept up with it, playing well past midnight before falling asleep after a match.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun shone through the curtains and into the brunette's eyes. She scrunched her nose and turned her head the other way. A loud sigh escaped her lips as it was eerily quiet. Sitting up she looked around the room bleary eyed. She gasped softly from the unfamiliar surroundings, she placed a hand over her chest and shook her head.

Emily made her way to the kitchen for a glass of water and a monster, and went back into her room with said drinks, turning on her console before she sat down. She took a sip of the water and put her feet up on the nightstand ready for a few games of Overwatch.

"Emily!" Bill called, causing her to jump, knocking her monster off of the nightstand with her foot.

"Fuck!" Emily huffed and quickly picked up the half empty can before anymore could spill out. She wiped up the mess with her dirty shirt from yesterday. "What?!" She yelled as she was finishing up, not hiding her irritation.

"Is everything alright?" He asked through the door, startling her further.

She took a deep breath, the last thing she wanted to do was seem rude after not even a day. "Yes, just gave me a spookin' there." She said, doing her best to hide her annoyance. She stood there awkwardly in the middle of the room, unsure of what to do.

"What's up?" She asked after a few moments of awkward silence.

"Would you like to hang out maybe, and-and get to know each other better this morning? Maybe g-get out of the house?" He asked hopefully.

"Um...sure, give me a few minutes to get ready." Emily reluctantly agreed.

"Okay!" He said excitedly.

She waited a moment to make sure he was gone and changed out of her pajamas. She put on a pair of black skinny jeans and a maroon blouse with quarter sleeves. Emily walked out of the room, monster in hand. She spotted Bill sitting on the red couch in the living room. He was wearing a red flannel button up with his get up from yesterday.

He looked up from the TV, "You look nice." He said breathlessly.

She took another sip of her drink wanting to get this over with so she could get back to Overwatch. The girl followed him out the door and wordlessly got into the car, feeling a little guilty for not wanting to go.

"Did you sleep well?" Bill asked way too chipper for her liking.

"Mm, yeah." She mumbled tiredly with the can pressed to her lips as she awkwardly took a swig as she stared at the passing scenery.

"That's good! What would you like to do today?" He asked beaming in excitement.

"Uh...uh?" She shrugged uncomfortably and studied the nutritional label on the can.

"Well, there is a park not too far from here." He suggested as he stole a glance of her slouched down in the seat, sensing her discomfort.

"That sounds nice..." She laughs nervously while cringing the whole time internally.

He instantly perked back up, "It's beautiful in the morning with all th-the birds and the morning air, I-I think you'll really like it."

She laughs nervously as she stares down at the empty monster can in her lap, wishing she had more when her stomach growled as a reminder of not eating breakfast.

It was a beautiful sunny day, and since it was a weekday there most likely wouldn't be any kids to disrupt the peace, which helped Emily feel slightly more at ease. She wondered what getting to know each other meant. It was just all around awkward.

Minutes later the stifling ride finally came to an end as he parked. She quickly unfastened her safety belt with shaking fingers and let out a breath she didn't know she was even holding.

"Conversations are awkward enough when the other person knows what to say." She thought to herself, but this guy embodied awkward conversations.

They both got out of the car at the same time and just stood there for a few moments in silence, much to Emily's relief. It was nice out, even if it was a little warm.

"Would you like to go sit down t-together, well n-not together together, but at the the same time together because that would be kinda weird since you're so young and I'm not...so young." He laughed awkwardly as he motioned towards the picnic tables.

Emily cringed internally as she nodded hesitantly, hoping he wasn't always going to be so awkward. She followed his lead towards a random table. She sat opposite of Bill, stretching her legs out on the bench, focusing her gaze on the sparse tree line.

Bill had to keep himself from staring at the girl in front of him. He cleared his throat causing her to look over at him, his words died in his throat.

She gave him a funny look. "Are you okay?" She asked in concern.

"O-oh y-y-yeah." He stammered as he looked down at his hand in his lap.

Emily furrowed her brows and refocused her attention to the trees once again.

"So d-do you go to school?" Bill asked suddenly.

"No, maybe in a few years." She answered coolly, not bothering to turn and look at him.

" Oh! Well,do what about a job?" He asked as he leaned forward.

She stiffly turned her head and didn't meet his eyes, "Uh...still working on that one."

"Any friends?" He asked as he stared at her hair.

"No..." She answered awkwardly, bitter her parents never allowed her to make friends with anyone.

"Boyfriend?" He asked as he leaned in a bit closer.

"No." She said a bit annoyed.

"Girlfriend?"

"No!" Emily rolled her eyes.

"W-well that's uh uh perfectly f-fine for a girl to like a girl or a boy to l-like-" She cut him off before he could stammer out the rest of his sentence.

"There is no one! Okay?! Let's just enjoy the damn morning! Quietly." She huffed irately.

After a few more awkward moments of him fidgeting, he suddenly asked, "Is there anything you want to know about me?"

Emily shrugged,"Uuuh, sure...where do you work?" She asked not really interested.

"In The United States Army." He said, puffing his chest out in pride.

She perked up a little, "What do you do in the Army?" She asked with a little more interest.

"I'm a barber! Can't let them boys go to war with hair in their eyes!" He said excitedly.

Emily lost what little interest she found. "Oh...that's cool."

"Anything else you wanna know?" He asked hopefully.

"Do you have an Xbox?" She asked hesitantly, pretty much knowing the answer.

"A-a what now?" He asked bewildered.

"Never mind..." She said quietly.

What little conversation they had died, leaving an even more awkward tension behind. Bill for the life of him couldn't think of anything to say, though he was relieved she didn't have a boyfriend.

"W-well I guess we could head back h-home now." Bill said, his voice hitched, as he stood up.

Emily slid off the bench to her feet and made her way back to the car. The ride back was more bearable since he had to focus some of his attention on driving.

As soon as he parked Emily jumped out of the vehicle and quickly walked to the door, trying not to flat out sprint. She heard some men talking to Bill as she slid inside the house. She let out a sigh of relief and padded silently to her room.

She fell back onto the bed and took a few deep breaths. That had to be one of the most awkward encounters in her life. Army barber? She snorted, "How lame." She thought to herself. "Well probably equally as lame as an unemployed teen..." She thought a few moments later.

Shaking her head, she booted up her console and readied herself for an afternoon of gaming.

Bill came inside after talking to his friends for a few minutes and trying to answer their many questions about Emily. He did the best he could to explain that she was his new roommate. Once inside he looked around for her to realize that she was already in her room. He stared at the door in disappointment before trudging back outside to have a beer in the alley with the guys.


	4. Chapter 4

Emily woke up and immediately scowled as the sun was shining right in her eyes. She huffed and rolled over, not ready for the day ahead of her. After laying there for a few more minutes she begrudgingly got out of bed.

She snuck into the kitchen for a Monster and retreated quickly back to her room. Emily relished the sweet bubbly goodness of the drink as she quickly brushed and curled her hair. She pulled out a pair of black slacks and a black blouse with red pin stripes from the closet. After quickly putting her attire on she slapped on some light makeup.

She hurriedly stepped into a pair of black kitten heels and almost splashed her half finished drink on herself on the way to the front door. Walking is sure gonna be a bitch in these shoes she thought to herself.

She set out on the long walk to town. The warm Texan sun beating down on her. Oh how she couldn't wait to save up enough money to move somewhere up north where it would hopefully be a little cooler.

She had lived her whole life in Arlen and had not once left the town. She was going to see what life had to offer and live dammit. There was so much to see, do, and experience. Hopefully she could make friends along the way. She pursed her lips as she didn't really know how to make friends.

That would surely change as she was her own woman now and could go and do whatever within the parameters of the law. The thought of a job interview made her stomach flip flop as she had no idea what to expect. She gripped her Monster tighter as she thought about what it would be like and hoped she would be hired somewhere and that some high schooler hadn't beat her to it.

Even though she was just in high school herself the thought of losing out on a job to one made her more than irritated. She took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves and reassure herself. She needed to be as professional as possible.

She shoved back the endless swirling thoughts and wiped away the sweat from her forehead. The walk was much longer than she anticipated and after 45 minutes she had just made of the outskirts of town. She swallowed thickly as she entered the first place on her list. It was new cafe, so theoretically it would be hiring. She walked up to the counter and wiped her damp palms on her slacks as she plastered a smile on her face. "Hello, are you hiring?" She asked the woman, unsure if she was asking the right person.

"No ma'am we are not, you could fill out an application anyway and contact you if there are any openings." The young blond said from behind the counter as she handed Emily an application form.

Emily smiled and thanked her as she took a seat to fill out the form. Luckily she remembered to bring a pen with her. She finished relatively quickly and handed the form back.

"Good luck!" The woman said as Emily turned to leave.

"Thanks!" replied Emily as she smiled and waved on the way out the door. She sighed, hoped the next place would be hiring.

It was the same thing for next several establishments, she filled application after application and not one of the places was actually hiring. She even applied for Mega Lo Mart.

The now somewhat put-out girl decided she would try again in a few days and call ahead of time so she wouldn't have to wear through another set of heels. On the way back she stopped by the currently empty playground and sat on a lone swing. It was so hot outside, she was certain her makeup had melted off.

Emily enjoyed the solitude of the small place, glad it was devoid of children who were probably just getting out of school by now. She wished there were adult only parks and swing-sets. It would certainly be much more peaceful...and less sticky…

She wanted to be able to afford her own apartment so she wouldn't have to stay at Bill's longer than she had to. Maybe she could even get a dog since some apartment complexes allowed pets. She always wanted a dog, but her parents never allowed it, arguing it was just another mouth to feed. She could understand, but a dog would have made her childhood less lonely. Now that she was out from her parents thumb she was free to make as many friends as she wanted. She decided to focus on getting a job and saving as much money as possible so she could make getting her own place a reality. Apartment first, friends (and dogs) later she mused.

Emily sighed and pulled out her cellphone. She finally turned it on to find only a couple of angry texts from her parents. She thought they would have blown up her phone. She took a deep breath as she called her mom, hoping she would pick up. It went straight to voice mail and of course her in-box was full. She tried her dad a few times and on the fourth try he finally answered.

"Emily?" He snapped.

"Uh, h-hi dad." She said nervously.

"What are you calling me for? I thought you wanted to be on your own." He said angrily.

"I-I do, I just wanted to call and say hi." Emily said as she kicked around the sand at her feet.

"Hi Emily." He said in annoyance.

"How are you guys doing?" She asked worriedly.

"We're just fine." He said curtly.

"I have to go, I just wanted to say hi. I love you, tell Mom I said hi. Bye." Emily said quickly.

"We love you too Emily, be careful out there. Bye." He said resignedly before ending the call.

Emily stared at her dusty feet and sighed. She put away her phone and began to swing. The wind in her face felt amazing. It was a rare treat to go the park. She would always go right for the swings. She smiled for the first time in a long time.

A little while later a few cars pulled into the unpaved parking lot. Which was Emily's cue to leave. The last thing she wanted to be around were unruly screaming children. She couldn't help but to feel jealous, as she was never allowed to just go out and play. She shook her head and hopped out of the swing and left just as kids began to pile out of the vehicles, already making excess noise.

She was glad she would never have to deal with that as she decided she would never have kids of her own. Of course she wouldn't dare tell that to anyone else except her future partner/s as it wasn't really accepted for a woman to forgo family life. She hoped one day it would be acceptable. What was wrong with disliking children? It's not like she was going to go out of her way to hurt one or anything. She shook her head again and wondered why a woman would put herself through that? The few benefits or "Kodak" moments were just not worth it in her opinion. Hell the "benefits" were more like cons to her. Her idea of a perfect family was her, a boyfriend, and dog.

Before she knew it she was turning down the street to home. She spotted fours guys just standing around outside across the street, one of them being Bill. In no mood to talk she simply waved and scurried inside before anyone could strike up any conversation.

She took off her heels and rubbed her feet. They were not made for walking long distances in. Emily quickly changed into a loose gray T-shirt, and a black pair of cotton shorts. She wiped off her makeup and put her hair in a loose bun.

Bill's breath hitched as he watched her walk by all dressed up. She was certainly stunning he thought. He sighed as he stared at his front door, even though it had only been a few days, he couldn't help not to feel disappointed. Of course she didn't want to hang out with him, he was just some old boring army barber. He sighed again, much to the annoyance of his friends who ignored him and continued on with their conversation.

"Huh?" Bill asked in confusion as he was pulled out of his self depreciating thoughts.

"I'm going to have a cookout Saturday and wondered if your roommate would be coming?" Hank asked as he finished his beer.

"Oh y-yeah, we'll be there." Bill said in a better mood already, he finished his beer and said his goodbyes as he was walking into his driveway. "Everyone loves cookouts " he thought excitedly.

"Emily?" Bill called out.

"Yeah?" She yelled back, wondering what the hell he wanted.

"Could you come here please?" He asked awkwardly.

"Be there in a minute." Emily said, annoyed at being pulled away from her game.

Bill couldn't help but be irked by her attitude. Sure it's only been a few days, but she didn't have to be so rude. His gaze snapped to her as she walked into the living room.

"What's up?" She asked trying to mask her irritation.

"Hank's having a cookout Saturday and I wanted to know if you were going? It'd be a great time to meet everyone and he makes a good steak." Bill said excitedly, hoping she would say yes.

"Uh, sure, I don't have anything planned. Is there a time?" Emily asked uncomfortably.

"Around 5." Bill answered happily.

"Cool." She said as she headed back into her room.

"Emily, dinner will be ready at 6." Bill called after her, trying not to be disappointed by her rapid departure, as she was probably just busy.

He set about prepping everything he would need for dinner. She looked rather cute and he couldn't help but to notice she wasn't wearing a bra either. He took a few deep breaths to try and clear his mind, but it just wasn't happening. He wondered where she went today and what she had been up to. Maybe she just needed some time to open up. After all its only been 3 days. She's probably just shy. That was it. They would be good friends in no time, maybe even more. Who was he kidding? She was young, why would she settle for someone like him? He tried to remain hopeful even though it was obvious nothing would happen between them. He shook his head, he had everything women look for in men, stability, a house, money, hopelessly romantic…the only thing missing was looks. Maybe she would look past that and see who he was on the inside. He could make her happy, unlike some young fresh-out-of-school guy who would only use her.

Emily looked up to check the time and seen it was a few minutes before six. She sighed and begrudgingly paused her game. Her stomach growled as made her way to the kitchen and stood there a moment, unsure of what to do. The table was already set and everything. She timidly made her plate and went to retreat back to her room.

"We um eat at the table, uh house rule." Bill laughed nervously.

Emily cringed and went back to the kitchen and took a seat. She quickly took a bite of the spaghetti so she wouldn't have to talk. To her surprise it was absolutely delicious.

"How was your day?" Bill asked with a mouthful of pasta.

Emily grimaced internally for a moment. "It was okay and yours?"

" It was okay, better now that I'm home." He said.

"I bet, this is really good by the way." Emily said as she twirled more around her fork.

"Thank you." He beamed at her compliment.

"Are you settling in well?" He asked nervously.

"Yea." She said before taking a bite of garlic bread.

"I was uh, just um...just wondering wh- I hope I'm not being intrusive but uh, where'd ya go today? Hehe, just wonderin'." He managed to finally stumble out the words, hoping she didn't get offended.

"I went out looking for a job, filled out a million applications, so I'm hoping someone calls me soon." She said tiredly.

"Oh uh good luck. I'm sure you'll get uh hired soon. They'd uh be c-crazy to pass up someone like you." Bill said nervously as he stole a few glances of her.

"uh...thanks..."Emily said awkwardly. She put her empty plate in the sink. "Thanks for dinner." She said before retreating back to her room. She'd do the dishes later once he was out of the kitchen.

"...you're welcome." He sighed quietly as he heard the door to Emily's room shut. "At least she likes my cooking." He thought to himself as he glumly got up to do the dishes.


	5. Chapter 5

Emily had been anxiously watching the time like a hawk, counting down to the barbecue. She couldn't concentrate on her game as time crept forward. The last thing she wanted to do was eat with a bunch of strangers and their obnoxious spawn. She hoped they weren't the types that had to know every last detail of a newcomer. Bill had been not-too-covertly hovering around her door the past couple of days. She really didn't like his company, they had nothing in common and he seemed too desperate to befriend her, holing up in her room seemed like the best option for now. She even thought about crawling back to her over protective, dysfunctional parents, but quickly quashed that idea; as the small taste of freedom was worth putting up with Bill's weirdness. "It's just one cookout that won't even last over an hour" she tried reassuring herself.

Steeling herself, Emily saved the game she was playing and turned off the her console. She put on a plain black T-shirt, with a pair of short denim shorts. Nothing to do now but to get a Monster and wait for Bill. She peeked out of the window to see a good amount of people there already, before sitting down on the couch. Maybe they would be so wrapped up in each other that they would hardly notice her. Emily considered pretending to be sick to get out of going, but before she could retreat back to her room Bill walked into the living room. She cursed silently and glowered at the drink in her hand, too late now.

"You ready roomie?" Bill asked excitedly as he looked over her with an appreciative eye.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Emily replied anxiously.

"Oh I'm so excited!" He almost squealed.

"I couldn't tell." Emily said sardonically as she got up.

"Two roomies going to a cookout together!" He said practically shaking from his enthusiasm.

"Yup, the most exciting thing ever in the history of all things." She said sarcastically in a bored tone, putting a bit of a damper on Bill's spirits.

"Is something wrong Emily?" He asked in concern, inching closer to the young woman.

"I'm sorry, I just don't feel the best right now is all." She said apologized quietly while resting her head in her hands momentarily. After all he was letting her stay with him for a steal and didn't make her do really any chores.

"You don't have to go if you don't want to Emily." Bill said softly as he sullenly put his hands in his jeans pockets. She wanted to so badly stay home., but she guessed one short afternoon wouldn't really hurt anything except maybe her sanity if those kids she saw acted like little hellions. "Is there anything I could get you?" He asked after a short awkward silence.

"Some Valium." She said playfully with a wink as she stood up, giving him a chuckle.

"So...a-are you coming?" He asked after a moment.

"Yea." She said followed by a soft sigh. He beamed and led the way. She stayed close to his side as she didn't know anyone except for Bill. The largest gatherings she's been to never had this many people as they only consisted of immediate relatives.

Of course there were kids, maybe tweens, Emily wasn't too sure or even really cared. She just hoped they weren't ill behaved little heathens like every kid she had the misfortune of sharing the same space. So far so good, no one was paying much attention to her yet, if at all. She did her best to not follow Bill everywhere he went as she didn't want to seem clingy or socially inept, however, she still hadn't done introductions. Mulling over what she should do a large pick-up pulled into Hank's driveway. 'Great more people' she thought nervously as she shifted her weight from leg to leg.

A young blond woman first stepped out of the vehicle, followed by the stereotypical redneck man that was the driver. She watched as the woman fussed over something in the backseat, Emily hoped with all her being that it was some kind of dish and not what she thought it might be. Lo and behold, it was an infant. Emily's heart sank as she was instantly irritated by it's mere presence and all it entails. She clutched the energy drink in her hand as if it were a lifeline. "Maybe it was a calm child and won't wail the entire time." she tried to reassure herself. Much to her expectation all the women cooed over the crotch goblin, who was in turn making faces at everyone. Emily wondered if it was too late to leave.

"Emily is it?" A browned haired woman with glasses called out to her, causing Emily to jump.

"Yes, uh..." Emily was unsure of what to do and smiled awkwardly.

"Peggy, Peggy Hill." Peggy introduced herself, holding out a hand for Emily to shake.

"Nice to meet you." Emily said politely, trying her best not to hyperventilate.

"That's my son Bobby, and my husband Hank." She pointed them out and pointed out who everyone else was much to Emily's relief. Before Peggy could start an actual conversation she rushed back inside. Emily wished her parents had let her socialize growing up, she probably wouldn't want to run for the hills right now.

She spotted a few of the guys sporting beers in their hands, and how she wished she had a can of liquid courage also. 'Maybe no one would notice' she thought as she tried to stealthily reach for a can herself, Bill looked over and caught her red handed. "There's a cooler with sodas in it over there." He said in a friendly manner. Emily nodded curtly and begrudgingly picked out a random off brand soda, silently cursing Bill for booze blocking her. If that semen demon starts screeching all bets are off that she's not grabbing a can, she thought while eying said creature. So far it was behaving itself and no one was really talking to her, everything was just peachy for the time being. Emily contently observed everyone else as they conversed with one another. She wondered what her parents were up to and couldn't helped feeling a little disappointed when they didn't show much interest in her life from under their thumb. 'Oh well' she shrugged, she'll have her little apartment sometime in the near future, if she ever got hired that is.

"You look nervous, are you sure you're okay?" Bill asked, startling Emily out of her thoughts.

" I'm fine." She reassured him as she raised the off brand soda to her lips and went to take a sip before realizing it was unopened, her cheeks heated up in embarrassment. Bill tried to hide his smile and patted her shoulder encouragingly. Emily noticed all eyes on her suddenly, making her want to faint. Bill took this as the time to introduce her to his friends and neighbors. An assortment of greetings flew at her seemingly all at once. She smiled awkwardly and waved hello.

Luanne's baby started to cry, thankfully taking some of the attention away from Emily. She inched back from the crowd and just stared at her feet lamely, internally screaming. After a few moments a dog came into her peripheral vision. She made a beeline for the old wrinkly pooch. Emily held out a hand and softly said, "Hello." She hoped it would be alright to pet her. A tag caught her attention, revealing the bloodhound's name. "Nice to meet you Ladybird." She cooed softly to the old girl. Ladybird seemed to like getting some attention. Emily sat cross-legged on the ground, Ladybird walked lazily in a few circles before laying down, resting her head on the young woman's lap.

She watched ants march about a few feet away. The ants weren't too concerned about the woman or the dog, going about their business. Emily appreciated the cool breeze that swept through the neighborhood, as did Ladybird who was thumping her tail happily against the ground. Hank's lawn was the definition of perfection as he kept it meticulously manicured. She would catch glimpses of him working on it out of her window . 'Everyone has their quirks' she thought. If she wasn't careful she would end up stealing this chill dog.

Bill went to check up on Emily as he saw she wasn't really socializing at all. He didn't see her at first and wondered if she went back home. About to give up he spotted her sitting on the ground petting and quietly talking to Ladybird, the sight made his heart melt a little. He didn't want to disturb the two and just watched for a few moments. Emily didn't care about anything but the sweet Ladybird next to her. She even turned out Luanne's mistake which would normally send her retreating back to her room and blasting whatever music was available. She was glad she came, as her parents hardly ever let her have contact with animals. One day she would invite her parents over to her home and show off her boyfriend and dog.

Soon dinner was ready. Emily watched Ladybird bolt towards the grill, waiting for anything to fall. She snorted and dusted off. Just who should she sit by? The end seat of any table would probably do, so she could make a quick get away if she needed to. Everyone got their food and sat down. Emily sat on the opposite end of the table from Luanne, but to her dismay sandwiched in between Boomhauer and Bill. It wasn't so bad she mused. It turned out they were actually having burgers instead of steak, which was quite alright with her. She took another swig of her tepid soda before picking at her meal and "accidentally" dropped a potato chip for Ladybird who was silently begging.

Bobby put a pair of bamboo skewers in his nose while making a bad impression of a walrus, "Look everybody, I'm a walrus! OAR OAR OAR!" He shouted while clapping his hands. The girl, Connie, gave him a strange look, while his friend Joseph laughed. Hank pinched the bridge of his nose, " Cut that out Bobbeh!" He said sternly whilst shaking his head. Emily heard him mutter something about the boy not being right under his breath and wondered if he was retarded or something. Either way whatever the boy was attempting irritated her to no end. She briefly felt bad for Hank. Reason 2,345 on why she was never having kids.

"Oh, Hank, he's not hurting anything." Peggy admonished. Emily however agreed with Hank.

"That was a good impression, Bobby." Bill encouraged him with a mouth full of half chewed burger.

Emily grimaced and ignored everyone to Ladybird who was patiently waiting for another crisp. Dogs are such wonderfully simple creatures she mused dreamily.

"You're girlfriend is so pretty Mr. Dauterive!" Luanne gushed as she got Gracie to eat another spoonful of some pureed concoction.

Emily literally started choking on a bite of burger and began to panic. Bill quickly performed the Heimlich Maneuver on the young woman, much to her embarrassment. "We *cough* are *cough* roommates." She wheezed out while still in Bill's arms. He held on a moment longer than she would have liked as she caught her breath. Pangs of rejection, inadequacy, and a little humiliation formed in his chest, he sat back down glumly and pretended her outburst didn't affect him. "H-hey Hank, how about that lawnmower!" He said, obviously changing the subject.

"Good." Hank replied obliviously.

Emily lost her appetite and discreetly began to feed little pieces of the meal to Ladybird. She wanted to just run back to her room and never come out. Guilt washed over her the more she marveled over how quickly Bill reacted and well saved her. She would have to thank him later after she collected her thoughts. The thought of the two of them together made her feel a little queasy, he was definitely old enough to be her dad. She looked over at Luanne and mused that she was probably not the brightest crayon in the box as she was so young and already spawned. How could girls throw away their youths like that, she wondered often. There was so much beauty in the world that many missed because they were looking at younger versions of themselves instead.

Gracie started crying, causing Emily to nearly jump out of her skin and glare daggers at the offending infant. Luanne took her inside and the petulant wailing grew quieter to Emily's relief, she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Human offspring were so bad that Mother Nature practically drugged mothers with hormones so that they didn't abandon their offspring, Emily learned in biology and wanted no part of it.

She could still feel his arms encircled around her waist and shivered. She had never been that close to a man except her father when they would briefly hug. Why would that woman think that of all things? Things were awkward enough between them and then that happened. Emily hoped it could be something that they could laugh off later, but judging by his reaction it might not be that simple. She wondered just what was up with that as she stared into her empty plate. It seemed to bother him, but she wasn't sure why. Was she rude? She thought in alarm. Even if it might be considered rude still didn't explain why he reacted like that afterwards.

The evening dragged on under the warm Texan sun. Everyone had their fill and were just hanging out smacking their gums away. Emily kept mostly to herself and Ladybird. The women were passing around the baby as if it was the last one on Earth. She paid no attention to them until she noticed the women have slowly gravitated to towards her and it was now her turn to hold Gracie. Emily was thankful she kept both half empty drinks in her hands, at first she felt stupid but it was a good tactic when there was a womb rat around and she'd be damned if this broke her whopping record of holding zero of them. Luanne held out the drooling baby, making Emily more than uneasy.

"It's okay, you can hold her." It's owner offered with a broad smile. Bill looked over with great interest and wondered what the sour look on Emily's face was about.

"Um, no thanks." Emily tried to reply as politely as she could manage and made a vague gesture of her hands being full. This didn't seem to deter the blond.

"Are you sure?." Luanne asked dreamily as she stared enamored with the baby. Emily was no way in hell setting her drinks down and holding the equivalent of drooling petri dish with legs.

"Yes." Emily replied firmly whilst trying to remain polite, though her patience was already worn thin.

Luanne held her baby out again anyways, loudly cooing to her and she started waving her arms towards the disgusted woman. Bill walked over and cooed at the little one. "You're drinks will be fine on the table Emily." He offered politely.

"My drinks are fine where they are!" Emily said defensively, barely veiling her anger, as she dented the cans in her tight grip. A few of the women and Bill were a taken back, each wondering what was wrong with the young woman.

"It was nice meeting you all, see ya around!" Emily shouted her departure and stomped across the street, retreating to the safety of her room, where there were definitely no crotch goblins. This was not how she wanted to make a first impression. She hated how people would pass around their spawns at social gatherings. Why did they always gang up on her? She hated the notion that since she was a woman that she would love all things baby. She refused to bow down to the mighty sprog. Everything would have been fine if Bill didn't come over there. No means no.

Emily was too stressed to even bother picking up her game. They weren't bothering the guys about that nonsense. Maybe she should just shadow them if she's ever invited over again that is. It was bad enough that someone assumed that she was Bill's girlfriend, but now she was worried that they would brand her as a 'baby hater' which somehow was a bad thing. There was more to life than babies, she had cool stuff to talk about, but most of them were enamored with the damn thing. She was partly to blame by just hanging out with Ladybird, who was the chillest dog she had ever met. Her spirits lifted somewhat the more she thought about the dog.

She was dreading seeing Bill now. He didn't help at all. If he cared so much why didn't he just hold it and leave her alone? Emily seethed. She rushed to the kitchen and grabbed the precious few cans of Monster that she kept in the fridge and brought them back to her room so she wouldn't have to venture out for one. She hoped that she would be hired soon, no matter how far she had to walk to and from. Then she could get her apartment and live on her own terms with a cute dog.

Many thoughts and emotions swirled around in Bill's head. He stayed about a half an hour longer. He didn't understand Emily's strong reaction to the cute Gracie. Everyone was smitten by her little smile and chubby cheeks. Peggy of course wondered out loud what could have upset Emily so much. Bill tuned her out as he cooed at Gracie, making the little girl squeal with joy from all the attention she was receiving. He said his goodbyes to the child and went back over to his friends.

Soon enough everyone packed up and began to disperse. Bill made his way home after helping the Hills clean up. Emily left a strange impression to almost everyone present much to his dismay. He sulked on his way home. He had no chance of winning her over. It didn't surprise him, the few dates that he by some miracle managed to get always ended shortly. He was destined to be alone he mused bitterly. He wished he had a perfect family like Hank. Bill stared longingly at Emily's door before huffing and sitting on the worn out couch. He hated how he developed feelings for the girl in such a short amount of time. It was hard having a beautiful young woman living with him and not even giving him the time of day when she paid a dirt cheap rent, had meals made for her. He crossed his arms over his chest. He had everything a woman could ever want…

He stood abruptly and stomped his way to Emily's door and practically pounded on it. She yelped in surprise from the sudden banging. "W-what?!" She shouted as she tried to calm down.

"Can we talk for a minute?" Bill asked softly, his aggression leaving him.

"S-sure." Emily said nervously and opened her door, running face first into his chest. She quickly backed away and rubbed her upper arm awkwardly. "What's up?"

"Are you okay?" He asked sternly.

"I guess so, why?" She asked, hoping this wasn't about the damn baby.

"You seemed upset about Gracie?" He asked, crossing his arms.

"I just didn't want to hold her and I politely declined, what's the big deal?." Emily said with thinly veiled anger. 'Why is he making such a big deal out of this?' She thought with a frown.

"Why didn't you want to hold such a cutie?" He asked in the same tone that he used with Gracie.

"I just didn't want to. Is that a crime?" Emily snapped. Bill was caught off guard from her reaction as she was normally cool as a cucumber.

"N-no." Bill spluttered, holding his hands out in front of him.

"Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?" Emily asked impatiently, crossing her arms over chest.

"H-how are y-you feeling after you almost-t choked?" He asked nervously.

Emily deflated and sighed, "I'm fine, thank you."

"I-it was nothing." He said quietly.

"That was really scary actually, and kinda embarrassing." She said softly, looking at her feet.

Bill gently lifted Emily's chin, he wanted to kiss her but refrained for the moment, "There's nothing to be embarrassed about."

Emily pulled away slowly and hugged herself, "Thank you." She whispered.

"Anytime dear." He said tenderly as he leaned forward.

Emily swallowed thickly, unsure of what was going on. He had a strange look in his eyes. His warm palm on her cheek startled her, he stroked his thumb slowly back and forth. Her heart hammered in her chest as her cheeks reddened, her mouth went dry. She felt warm soft lips pressed against hers suddenly, she pulled away quickly. "Whoa there," she said breathlessly, trying to process what just happened. Bill quickly straightened and began to stammer out an apology to save face. His lips still tingling as his heart thundered wildly in his chest. He wanted to feel her lips again, had to.

She wet lips and a cleared her throat awkwardly. This is not how she imagined her first kiss. Many movies she watched had the damsel kiss her savior, which irked her to no end, but now she felt she owed it to him. "Uh..." the words died in her throat as he was giving her that look again. She had no romantic feelings for him but the kiss did feel nice. He tentatively went in for another kiss, she did not pull away this time. She wrapped her arms around his neck like in the movies, like her mom did her dad when he did something especially nice after one of their fights, and winged it from there. Her lips tingled, cheeks aflame. They stayed like that for several moments before pulling apart breathlessly.

"E-Emily I-I uh..." He tried to stutter out something.

"T-hat happened..." She panted her cheeks still flaming. He took her soft hand into his own, staring deeply into her eyes.

She averted her gaze from his intense stare. "That w-was my f-first kiss." Emily stammered out nervously, unsure of what to do, not wanting to give him the wrong impression.

"R-really?" He asked in surprise, pride welling up in his chest.

"Yeah..." She whispered, her palms began to sweat.

"Was it what you hoped it to be?" He asked quietly, tightening his grip on her hand.

"I-I guess." She said anxiously, biting her lip. He pulled her into a tight hug. She gently pushed Bill away. "I don't want you to get the wrong idea, Bill." She said pulling herself together.

"What d-do you m-mean?" He asked with wide alarmed eyes.

"We're roommates." She said softly, pursing her lips.

He inhaled sharply and nodded jerkily. "S-sorry."

"It's um, it's okay." She gave him a small smile and hoped it was reassuring. He recoiled from her and quickly retreated to him room. Emily sighed and gently shut her door. What the fuck was that?! She demanded from herself. Way to make things freakishly awkward, she scolded herself.

She imagined her first kiss to be at sunset after a few dates with a cute young man around her age not her late forties roommate. The kiss still fresh in her mind, she shuddered. Emily only kissed him again to feel the new sensation for more than just a fleeting heat of the moment. She hated that it felt good to kiss him, that she wanted nothing more than to "practice" with him even though the thought of being at all intimate with an unattractive man that was old enough to be her dad made her recoil with disgust for herself. "Ugh." She gagged. 'Fuck my life.' She thought in fierce revulsion as she roughly wiped her mouth.

Bill's heart sank when she said it was a mistake. To get teased with the very thing he craved was more than cruel. His cheeks burned in shame. Her lips were so soft, sweet and warm, just like the body that was pressed to his own not a few minutes ago. It wasn't fair! His eyes welled up with tears. Why would she kiss him again and give him a false sense of hope only to dash them a few moments later? He could make her happy, if she would let him. He heard a sound he interpreted as disgust from her room. Great, he disgusted her! He thought bitterly, clutching angrily at the bedding. Why would she do that to him?! He calmed down a little remembering that she let him kiss her again for a much longer time. He would definitely kiss her again, making sure he showed her the way of the French. He licked his lips relishing the taste of the salt of her kiss, he panted in anticipation. He would make her want him, somehow.


	6. Chapter 6

The past few days had been extremely tense and awkward for Emily. She scuffled to and from the bathroom and occasionally the kitchen for a much needed glass of water. Saturday's events were still raw in her mind. She couldn't stop cringing as the kiss replayed over and over in her head. The last thing she wanted to do was to even acknowledge his existence. If only she could go back in time and knock some sense into herself. The poor woman had barely eaten since then as she didn't want to sit at the table with him. No matter how many times she brushed her teeth, she could still taste him. Every time she had the misfortune of crossing paths with Bill she would blush madly in shame. Emily had looked obsessively for any place that was hiring that she hasn't already put in an application for. So far no dice. She was losing hope that she would be hired anytime soon.

She paused her game for the hundredth time to just fall back in the bed and cringe hard. Maybe if she got out of the house for the day some of the tension would go away. Her stomach growled loudly as she got dressed in a pair of black exercise shorts with a powder blue T-shirt. Emily grabbed a can of room temperature Monster and pocketed her wallet, pausing at the door, afraid of running into Bill. She took a deep breath before bolting out of her room, brushing past Bill on her way out. He caught her gently by the elbow, she froze in her tracks and stared at him in shock.

"Emily, are you okay? You haven't really eaten s-since Saturday." He asked in concern, relishing the small bit of physical contact.

"Yes." She said curtly as she wrenched her arm out of his soft grip and stormed out of the front door. Her cheeks flamed from his touch as she stomped down the sidewalk. Who the hell was he to grab her like that...to kiss her like that? To make her want to go back for more? She clenched her jaw in anger at herself. With a huff Emily stuffed a pair of earbuds in her ears, clumsily plugging them into to the headphone jack of her iPod and turned the volume up on a random metal song. Many conflicting thoughts swirled around her head. They had nothing in common. He didn't even know what Alien or an Xbox was, not to mention he was over twice her age. Emily shook her head, she was just being a hormonal teenager, she tried to reason. Why was she still so confused? They were incompatible at best. Fed up with all the endless thoughts she broke out into a dead on sprint not caring or paying attention to where she was going.

Bill paced back and forth with worry as it had been several hours since Emily stormed out of the house. Was she still upset about their kiss? He didn't understand what there was to be so upset about to the point of going hungry. She was just being silly and over dramatic like all...teenagers. She was 18 so it was okay to fall in love with her, he justified. She just needed time is all, she'll come around, Bill hoped. He had replayed their kiss over and over, memorizing the smallest touch, every breath, the spark, her body pressed to his, the salt of her lips. He panted as paused for a moment, peering into her open room, his curiosity won him over.

As soon as Bill entered Emily's room he was hit with her intoxicating scent. He didn't care if this was an invasion of privacy, it was his house after all. The room was scant of decor or any personal touch except for her game console and a few other belongings. He sat on her bed and stroked the pillows and moved on to the sheets. Bill buried his face into the girl's bedding, feeling dizzy and weak with desire for her love. He imagined her cuddled up to him, kissing him passionately. Bill got up and decided to peek into the dresser. He blushed when the first drawer happened to be her under garments. They were an assortment of plain colors. He spotted her clothes from last night in a small heap in the corner. His breath quickened as he found a pair of pink panties in the pile and pulled them up to his face sniffing them. He crumpled the material in his hands as he took another long whiff, his stiff erection strained against his jeans, aching with need. A mostly empty Monster caught his attention on the nightstand, Bill picked it up and licked the edge of the opening of the can. He shivered as he savored the sticky sweet taste.

The phone rang causing Bill to nearly have a heart attack. He rushed to answer, irritated he had been interrupted. "Hello?" He answered out of breath.

"Hey Bill, it's Emily, could you come pick me up from The Sports Bar?" She asked nervously, as she scanned her surroundings.

"Yeah, I'm on my way now." He said hurriedly.

"Thanks, Bill." Emily said before hanging up. It was a miracle she remembered his number let alone getting some change. She couldn't believe she wandered so far out. The stares she was getting made her uncomfortable and anxious to get home. They reminded her of the way Bill looked at her before the kiss, but more primal. He couldn't arrive soon enough. Emily quietly stepped outside and sat down a few feet away from the doors. The sun has already set an hour ago. Drunks stumbled out of the bar as more people poured in to get intoxicated while watching sports. She wondered what was so great about the effects of alcohol since all of the adults in her life had drank. It didn't seem all that appealing from watching her parents drink themselves into a stupor after a fight. She felt a little guilty as she remembered him acting so quickly when she was choking. Emily was pulled out of her thoughts as a small group stumbled past her to the parking lot. She glared at them for being so irresponsible. Didn't they know how dangerous it was to drive under the influence? or did they even care? She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and hoped Bill would be there soon.

She thought back the kiss they shared yet again, hating how she wanted to do it again. It was a new sensation and it was only natural for her to want it again, she reasoned. It would be more special with someone she actually had an attraction to. Someone who actually understood her, liked the same things she did, around the same age. Emily picked at the green tab of her long emptied Monster when a muscular man approached her. He leaned against the wall, looming over her.

"Need a ride?" He slurred as he looked over her hungrily.

"No, thanks." Emily mumbled shyly as she pulled her knees to her chest.

"C'mon, a pretty girl like you shouldn't be out here all by herself." He said as he stumbled closer.

"I'm waiting for a friend." She said assertively, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well this friend obviously isn't a good one to leave you all alone. Come on baby, let's go somewhere more private." He said with a predatory grin as he stepped closer.

"Is this guy bothering you, Emily?" Bill asked with a pointed glare at the man, sizing him up. She nodded meekly as she quickly got up, went over to him.

"Back off grandpa!" The man yelled as he lunged forward. Bill punched him square in the jaw, knocking the already unsteady man on his ass, and pulled Emily to the car before things could escalate any further.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he fussed over her. She brushed his hands away and nodded, processing what had just happened, as she looked out of the window to the man looking around. He saved her yet again, she frowned at the fluttery feeling in her chest.

"Thank you." Emily whispered as she fingered the rim of the empty can in her hand.

"You're quite welcome my dear." He said softly as he pulled out of the parking lot.

"I'm sorry for asking for a ride so late, I just needed time to think." She said after a few moments, trying to push away the nagging guilt. Bill grunted in response as he was lost in his own thoughts.

"What were you doing all the way out here?" He asked after a few moments of silence, glancing at her.

"I just wasn't paying attention." She mumbled shyly as she stared at the passing scenery.

"You need to be more careful, you could have gotten hurt if I hadn't shown up when I did..." He said sternly glaring at the road ahead, griping the wheel so tight his knuckles turned white. Emily rolled her eyes and huffed, shoving ear buds in her ears to save herself from the incoming lecture. She tapped her foot along to the beat.

Bill frowned when he noticed she wasn't paying any attention and gently pulled out the left ear bud. Emily turned her head, her hair whipping her in the face, "Never touch someone's headphones." She hissed as she put the ear bud back in her ear, leaning as far away from his as possible. He slammed on the breaks and pulled over. Emily stared at him, startled. "What the hell?" She demanded as she face him.

"You could have gotten seriously hurt, Emily!" Bill snapped as he studied her expression.

"I was fine!" She snarled gripping the seat tightly.

"What would you have done if I hadn't shown up?" He asked hotly. Emily deflated, she didn't know what to do. Angry tears welled up as she turned away from him. Bill placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, which was shrugged off. He sighed and leaned back in his seat. He didn't even want to think about what would have happened.

"I'm fine so it doesn't matter!" She said after a few tense minutes, wanting nothing more than to be home already.

"Emily." He said softly, reaching for her. She whipped around and glared daggers, inches from his face. Bill lowered his gaze to her lips that were stretched in a silent snarl. He stroked a few locks of her hair. "I'm glad you're okay, just promise to be more careful." He whispered as he ever so slightly leaned in. Emily raised an eyebrow and sat back, not allowing herself to fall for that again. A nagging part of her knew he was right and liked the way he punched that intoxicated jerk right on his ass. "No one has ever really stood up for me like that before..." She whispered, with her head lowered.

"I'd do it again for you." He said protectively, inconspicuously flexing, making her cheeks flush. He reached over and placed his palm on her cheek, pulling her towards him gently. They locked eyes, lost in their own thoughts. Emily wasn't sure what the hell she wanted anymore. She closed her eyes when Bill placed his warm lips on hers. Emily wanted to pull away but the sensation was too new and pleasurable. She leaned in to him, tentatively running her fingers through his hair. It was thicker and softer than it looked. A shiver went down her spine as his tongue parted her lips. Unsure of what to do, Emily hesitantly mirrored his movements. A few moments later she found herself deepening the kiss. Bill attempted to pull her into his lap, the seatbelt prevented this and they awkwardly pulled away, panting. He went to unbuckle Emily's seatbelt, she stopped him.

"Let's go home." She said breathlessly, not wanting to take it any further and silently thanked the seatbelt. Bill smiled and nodded as he pulled back onto the road. This had to stop. She felt a deep repulsion for herself and Bill. She scolded herself, as she would have plenty of time to kiss cute boys her own age that weren't her creepy middle aged roommate. She suppressed a gag and couldn't wait to brush her teeth. The last thing Emily wanted to do was to crawl back to her parents. She had to tough it out at Bill's and hoped she could move out soon. Thankfully, the ride was over. Emily leaped out of the car and sprinted to the door, frowning when she realized it was locked. Bill opened the door and just kind of stood there staring at her.

If Emily rolled her eyes any harder they would be stuck. She brushed past him and grabbed a bottle of water and a Monster before heading towards her room.

Bill decided to change his approach and pulled her into his chest. "Emily," he whispered as he stroked her soft matted hair. She swallowed thickly, clutching her beverages as she was helplessly crushed against him. He pulled her into a passionate kiss. Emily not in the mood broke the kiss and gave him a sour look. "Give me a chance, Emily." He pleaded, resting his forehead on hers.

"We're incompatible. Look I'm sorry for the mixed signals, I was just confused as this is all so new to me. I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression." Emily said she looked guiltily in his eyes to see his panic.

"We haven't known each other that long, we just need to spend more time together." He pleaded desperately, tightening his arms around her. Emily gave him a skeptical look, "No, we can be friends though." She offered awkwardly. His look of disappointment didn't go unnoticed, he let his arms fall to his sides.

"Uh,um, good night Bill." She said nervously before bolting to her room. Bill stared at her door, reeling from her sudden departure. What did he do wrong? He went to his own room and pulled the panties from earlier out of his pocket, at least he had this.

Emily noticed her room looked messier than she had left it. She furrowed her brows as she looked at her twisted bedding and her open drawer. Maybe she forgot to tidy things up and left it in a pigsty in her rush to get out, she couldn't help the nagging feeling. Shaking her head, Emily got to work putting everything back in order. Tonight's events played on loop in her head. She groaned as she fell back onto her bed.

Bill panted as he released into the thin material. He desperately wanted to feel her squirming underneath him, moaning his name, cuddling him lovingly after they collapse in a sweaty heap. He wanted to fall into her bed and hold her, as the glow was wearing off and the loneliness crept in from the one person act. He longed for the comfort and security of a loving relationship, longed for Emily, something he could never have.

Emily cracked her eyes open and rolled out of bed, landing with a thud. Her face twisted in surprise. She groaned as she got to her feet. Not the best way to start the day. Yesterday a fuzzy memory as she passed out as soon as her head hit the pillow. She took a sip of the flat, room temp Monster. It wasn't the best, but the caffeine was still there. Last night's events slowly came to back to her as she cringed. What the fuck was wrong with her?At least she got her point across that they were just friends she thought in relief. No more weird smooching thank god.

Bill looked up from the paper and smiled. "Good morning Emily." He said warmly.

"Morning." She mumbled, feeling barely human, taking a seat at the table.

"Here." He set a cup of coffee in front of the half awake young woman. He prepared it when he heard her move around in her room. She took a few sips and stared at the table. Not making much of an effort to wake up. Emily took another large sip of the warm drink. Bill placed a warm hand over hers. This sobered her up quickly as she quickly pulled her hand away.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked calmly, stung from her rejection. She just shrugged as she chugged the rest of her energy drink and then coffee. Bill stared at her for a moment, unsure of what to make of that. She must be really tired to need all that caffeine, he mused. Emily slipped out of the chair and wordlessly went back to her room to change. She stripped, throwing the dirty clothes into a pile on the floor, and put on a black tank top with a gray knee length skirt. It was too warm to put up with that leg prison shit. Summer was for the devil. Emily shuffled back into the kitchen and plopped back into the same chair, watching Bill cook what appeared to be breakfast.

A few minutes later he placed a plate in front of Emily. She stared at the contents, French toast and sausage. One thing about him, he could cook well. The woman inhaled her food and set about washing some of the dishes. Bill took the time to watch her, studying her movements, liking the way the skirt swayed with her, and how her top clung to her figure. Emily felt eyes burning holes in her back, she rushed the task at hand and practically flew out of the house. Some time and space would hopefully make things less awkward.

Bill stared hopelessly in the direction of Emily's sudden departure. Did he really upset he that much? His fist landed on the table, causing what dishes that were left to clatter. It wasn't fair! Silly teenager, didn't she see that he had everything she would need? That he could provide for her. He looked down at his fat and realized that maybe he should workout. Maybe if he lost some weight she would find him more attractive, he desperately wondered. He still had a few weights from when he lifted with those roided out freaks. "Time to get pumped!" He shouted.

Emily frowned in dismay as she arrived at the playground, of course it would be full of kids. She wished there was a swing set for adults some where. At least she remembered to grab her iPod. She jogged to the last vacant swing as she saw a kid making his way over to it. She was not giving up the only thing she came here for. The kid frowned and went to play on the monkey bars instead. Emily noticed the stink eye she was receiving from the kid's handler. Oh well, first come first serve. Her mind wandered off as she let the music carry her off to magical places.


	7. Chapter 7

The morning was still and muggy. The sun wouldn't rise for another hour. Bill rushed to fridge and grabbed Emily's half full Monster on his way out. He took a haphazard sip as he raced out of the neighborhood, not too keen on the flavor. His foggy mind realizing that Emily's lips had been on the rim of the can. Suddenly the flat energy drink was much more appealing. It was almost like kissing her by proxy. He sighed as he knew she thought his job was lame, it definitely wasn't the most exciting occupation. Bill licked the rim of the can, remembering the few passionate kisses they shared. His heart swelled that he was her first kiss. If only he could be her first everything, he knew how to make it memorable. The way she looked at him each time after he saved her made his heart stop, he had to see that look again, had to feel her eager lips on his. Bill took another long sip.

All too soon he was at the base. The morning crawled by as he was anxious to get back to Emily. Lost in his thoughts Bill clipped a private's hair too short by his ear, who gave a shout of protest, which was ignored. He cut head after head of hair, the only hair he wanted to touch was Emily's brown split-end riddled mane. Bill sighed heavily as it got close to lunch, thankfully.

Emily shuffled into the kitchen to retrieve her half finished drink to discover to her dismay that it was gone. She furrowed her brows as it was definitely there last night. What is this?! A peek in the trash only confused her more as it wasn't there. Did Bill do something with it? What could he have wanted with it other than tossing it into the garbage? It was flat and not as good anyways. She shrugged and opened a new can, relishing it's addictive sweet bubbly taste, glad the obligation to finish the missing drink was off her shoulders. Emily leaned against the counter lazily as she tried to figure out what to do today. She had beaten all of her games, sadly noting not enough time has gone by to actually enjoy a fourth play-through. There wasn't too much to do in this little town that really caught her interest. A walk couldn't hurt.

The past few days had been strangely blissful as she was out from her parents thumb and hadn't seen much of Bill. Things couldn't be awkward if they weren't around each other. Emily wanted to turn around as sweat began to bead up on her forehead. Of course she had to pick the hottest part of the day to go wandering around, thankfully she hadn't left the neighborhood yet. She hated being cooped up in the house, but it was just too damn hot to do anything in the summer and nothing was really in walking distance in this heat. She scurried inside and plopped down on the stained couch and stared at the ceiling with disdain. How the hell was she supposed to make friends if she never talked to anyone? Well she sure as heck didn't have the social skills, yet. She had to get out of Arlen, even Texas. Emily didn't fit in.

Bill tiredly clocked out and made his way to the car. He couldn't wait to get back to Emily, even if she would be holed up in her room. A flower stand caught his eye. He carefully picked out a colorful bouquet before going on his merry way. The flowers were beautiful, just like her. Bill gripped the steering wheel a little tighter, his palms slick with sweat. What if she didn't like them? He let out a nervous laugh, she'd be silly if she didn't, what girl didn't like flowers? There wasn't anything weird about roommates getting each other flowers, right?

He clutched the bouquet as he shakily opened the front door. He stepped inside noisily and stopped in his tracks when he spotted Emily sprawled out on the couch, napping. Bill clumsily set down the flowers on the wooden spool table. His breath hitched as got a good look at her black panties from her raised lavender skirt. He bit his lip to muffle the small whine that bubbled up, unable to take his eyes off of her. His gaze raked up and down her sleeping form. He ached with desire and loneliness. Bill quietly walked into the kitchen and put the flowers in a plain glass vase with a dejected sigh. He was starving for another kiss, her affection. Another whine escaped as he sat down drowning in despair.

Emily stretched and rolled off the couch, landing on the floor in a small heap. She groaned and slowly got up, wondering what time it was. She spotted Bill fussing over something in the kitchen.

"What's up?" Emily asked as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

Bill straightened up quickly and crossed his arms, "Ah! Wha-what are you talking about? Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Jeez, sorry!" She snapped as she snatched a Monster out of the refrigerator, equally startled from his outburst. What the hell is his problem? She studied him for a moment before noticing the colorful vase of flowers sitting on the table. She opened the can with a loud pop and took a few swallows, appreciating the delicate blooms for a few moments. "What's the occasion?"

"Oh uh, I j-just thought they were uh pretty, like you." He said as he wiped his hands on his uniform pants. Emily didn't quite hear that last part and shrugged mentally.

"Well they brighten up the table..." Emily said awkwardly, fingering the rim of the can.

"You can uh, put them I-in uh your uh room if you like." He said as he shoved his hands back in his pockets, hoping she would.

"No, thank you, they are fine on the table." She said with a cool smile while placing a frozen burrito into the microwave, trying to ignore the nagging suspicion. It would at least give her something to stare at while eating. He tried his best to hide his disappointment, mentally berating himself for not outright giving them to her. She retrieved her burrito and headed towards her room.

"Emily." Bill warned gently.

She rolled her eyes and plopped down at the table tapping her foot waiting for it to cool. Bill sat across from her, resting his elbows on the table.

"So how was your day?" He asked curiously.

She shrugged, "It was alright, I was just focusing on getting a completion play through..." she trailed off realizing he probably didn't know what she was talking about and focused on her burrito.

"My day was the usual, just a little more boring." Bill said after a few moments of silence.

"Well they call it a job for a reason." She said dully, poking the steaming burrito impatiently. She sighed heavily as she thought getting an apartment that was pet friendly. It irritated her to no end that children were let in for free and they were twice as loud and destructive than the average well trained dog. The more she thought about it the more an apartment didn't appeal much. It would most likely be crowded with noisy tenants and their brats. Maybe a nice duplex would do? She made a mental note to look into it later.

Bill studied her every move as she stared off in thought, eating absentmindedly. He wondered what she could be thinking about, one of her games perhaps? He watched her get up and pad softly to her room. Was she really going to leave her damn plate on the table like that? He let out an irritated sigh, drumming his fingers on the table. He watched the clock for a few minutes and figured she wouldn't be returning for the cooling burrito. She normally didn't leave unfinished food at the table, making him wonder if she intended to come back and forgot or if she just left it there for him to take care of. Bill found himself reaching for it. He stared at the bite marks for a few moments before tentatively taking a small bite, relishing that her mouth had been there a mere few minutes ago. He took another bite, and almost choked as loud rock suddenly blared. It was turned down quickly after the shock. Bill quickly regained his composure and threw away the mostly eaten burrito as the moment was ruined for him.

Emily blushed madly as she clutched her chest as rock played quietly from her new speakers. She wasn't expecting them to be so loud at first. With a small awkward cough, she shuffled into the kitchen sheepishly. She noticed that her plate wasn't there and looked at Bill in confusion.

"Where'd my burrito go?" She asked.

"I thought you were done with it so I threw it away." Bill said as he crossed his arms.

"I wasn't." She said in a huff as she whirled around and stomped back to her room. Emily turned up the volume and fell back on the bed, her own place couldn't happen fast enough. Who the hell just throws away food that was only left unattended for like five minutes?! She shook her head and checked her email again in hopes of getting an interview. Her hope was beginning to fade for a job that was in walking distance. She wouldn't have to worry about her food getting thrown out just because she wasn't guarding it.

She had to get out of Texas fast, it was definitely unfriendly for her as a woman and her lifestyle. There weren't any cute boys in Arlen and with the attitude of most of the males in the southern bible belt, she wanted nothing to do with the opposite sex here. Emily would be fine on her own if she could just get hired already.

It would be irresponsible to get a dog as well, she huffed sadly. A good walk would probably make the trapped feeling subside a little. She grabbed her iPod and pepper spray before tearing out of the house to avoid any questions. She shoved in her earbuds and hastily put on a play-list of one her favorite bands, Red Hot Chili Peppers.

She put her hair up in a haphazard pony tail and slowed her pace as she took a good look around the neighborhood. It was bursting with the stereotypical Texan life. It was as if she were a mere spectator.

She was filled with a strange satisfaction as she continued her way towards town. Life could be anything she wanted it to be. It could be filled with all the dogs she could handle and a nice house on a lake somewhere, but that could only happen if she ever got hired.

Bill sighed as dropped her soiled underwear into the pile of dirty laundry. He hated how short she was with him. He had shown her only kindness and it got him nothing in return. He wiped some dust from a shelf and licked it off his finger, unabashedly savoring it since it was mostly her dead skin cells. An abandoned energy drink caught his attention. To his surprise it had about an eighth left. He slowly ran his tongue where her lips would have been and took in the sweet taste. Shivers ran down his spine as he thought about her saliva being mixed with the flat few sips of the Monster he gulped down. Bill picked up the controller to her game console and fingered the buttons softly, imagining her soft touch. She sure spent a lot of time handling this controller, he mused, wondering if she ever tired of her games. He set it down as a pair of black kitten heels caught his eye. Bill stroked the toe of the shoe gently before sticking his nose in it and sniffing intently. His pants felt too tight as his erection strained against the material.

The bed sagged when he sat in the middle of it. It was intoxicating to lay in her bed. He hoped she would be out for a while, doing god knows what, so he could stay in her space a little while, a part of him wondered where she was and if she was safe. Her pillows had a slight floral scent to them. His eyes wandered over to the dirty clothes in the corner. Bill picked up what seemed to be a freshly worn pair of panties and took a long whiff. He sat back down on her bed and unzipped his pants as he thought about seeing up her skirt this afternoon. Doing this in her room made it even better. He got a little careless and spilled his seed onto her sheets. Bill sat there panting for a few moments, not bothering to clean up as he rested.

He wiped his the sweat from his forehead as he began to panic. Maybe it would dry up before she returned? Too risky, he took a sheet and tried to dab some of it up. It seemed to make it only make it worse. Stupid, stupid, stupid! He berated himself as he frantically looked around for something that might help. It would take too long to wash the bedding. Bill took a moment to make an attempt to calm down. It would most likely dry up before she returned. He tried to put everything back to how it was originally.

The loneliness crept up and hit him full force. His chest ached as he stared into her empty room. Bill wanted nothing more than to have his own family, like Hank, with Emily. Her beautiful smile and perfect hips haunted his mind's eye. He wanted to hold her in his arms, make love to her, make her swollen with his child.

He sighed dejectedly and went to the bathroom. Bill stared at her toothbrush for a moment before putting it in his mouth, not bothering to rinse it, taking in every bristle that came in contact with her precious mouth. He imagined their last kiss where she was full of passion, how her tongue, teeth and lips felt, how she tasted. Bill reluctantly put the toothbrush back, purposely not washing it. It excited him that she would come into contact with his intimate fluids, even if she didn't know. He wasn't so panicked about the mess he left in her sheets as she probably wouldn't notice anyways. He plopped down in front of the TV, anxiously waiting for her return.

A few hours had passed before he jumped from the front door opening. Bill watched Emily walk by him without even a glance in his direction. He flinched as the gently click of the door indicated she was already in her room. Not even a hello? What could she had been doing all this time anyway and more importantly with whom? He stared in her direction with a mix of bitterness and longing.

Emily felt off as she entered her room. Nothing seemed out of place. She shrugged it off as her imagination and turned on her xbox. She sat on her bed and brought up Destiny. She pulled the sheet over her legs and furrowed her brow in confusion as something crusty brushed against her thigh. Emily pulled the sheets back and saw a stiff spot on the material. What could it be? She racked her brain as she tried to recall if she spilled anything. Well she did sneak a yogurt into her room late last night, though she didn't think she dropped any on the bed. That's the only thing that it could be… She would make sure to be more careful in the future as she tossed the offending sheets onto the floor and settled in for another night of gaming.


	8. Chapter 8

Soft muffled music floated from Emily's room as she made an attempt to roll out of bed. She sighed as unfocused eyes stared at the yellowing ceiling. She had an appointment to get her Mirena today and she was excited yet incredibly nervous. Her messy hair fell in front of her eyes as she rolled over. It was officially summer, with the sweltering heat and school being out, which meant she would be walking through Hell. A dog and a large cup of coffee were needed stat. Unfortunately there was a severe lack of dogs right now.

Emily begrudgingly got to her feet and threw on a clean pair of shorts and an old black tank top. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and shuffled into the kitchen hoping the coffee was still hot. To her dismay there wasn't any at all. She grabbed a cool monster out of the fridge and took a few large gulps. The carbonation doing nothing to wake her.

The barely human girl shuffled into the living room and plopped down on the couch, startling Bill. She stared at him for a moment in confusion before remembering it was his day off. "Well fuck." She leaned on the arm of the couch and nursed her energy drink as she stared bleary eyed at the TV.

Bill drank in her hunched over figure. It was torture for her to be so close yet so out of reach. He shifted closer and changed the channel over to the Bachelor. He watched in silent despair as Emily made a displeased face and abruptly left for her room. What could he have done wrong? This was the first time she ventured into the living room that wasn't just passing through.

Emily caught the time when he changed the channel and rushed to her room to put on her sneakers. If she didn't leave now she'd be late. That's the last thing she wanted since she spent almost an hour convincing the doctor that this was the right birth control for her. Even if she wasn't in a relationship it still would make her feel better knowing she had one of the most effective methods available right now.

She considered asking Bill for a ride, but thought against it as she jogged out the door.

The heat was stifling, almost taking her breath away. At least she had a cool monster. She walked down the sidewalk at a fast pace, growing more anxious and sweaty. Emily read that it would feel like a bad cramp, but that most of the women went right back to their life after taking some over the counter pain killers. She made sure to swallow some before racing out as she was instructed. The pain would be worth it as she would be protected for the next five years, then hopefully on her way to get sterilized. Emily shook her head and hoped the appointment would go smoothly.

Bill reeled from her sudden wordless departure. Did he really upset her that much? He refused to believe he was the cause and peeked out of the window to watch her march down the sidewalk, wondering where she was going. He considered getting in the car and following her, but decided against it. There were a few matters that needed to be taken care of.

He got off the couch and brought the still packaged cameras to the table. Bill got to work taking them out of their packaging and getting them ready. Once done with that he put one in the ceiling vent in the bathroom, making sure it was in view of the shower. Next he put one in the vent above her bed which would give him a good view of the entire room. Unfortunately there wasn't anywhere else that would be out of sight. This was good enough for now, he didn't want to risk getting caught.

Bill noticed her sneakers were missing and blushed, remembering what he did with them the other day. She was so oblivious, he mused. He looked at her small collection of games and movies in detail this time, noting that they were mostly sci-fi looking. That explains the face she made about the show earlier. He wasn't fond of it himself, but he remembered over hearing Nancy and Peggy talking about it once and assumed it was something she would like.

Bill found himself opening every case and touching all the discs. Touching her things was beginning to not be enough. He sighed as he put everything back in order and fell back into her bed. It felt empty without her by his side. A small trash bin caught his eye. He leaned over and peered inside, finding mostly energy drink cans and yogurt containers. He found it cute that she sneaked yogurt when she thought he wasn't paying attention. Bill reached for a used band-aid that had a bit of dried blood on it and licked it, thinking about how it had flowed through every inch of her, a shiver of pleasure ran down his spine. He threw it back into the bin and rolled over with a groan.

Emily stumbled in the waiting room and signed in. The journey over was too damn hot. She sat down in the corner and groaned in annoyance as a baby began to cry, which set off the three others. The very reason she was there was to prevent something like this. To Emily's horror the mothers were around her age. What the hell were they thinking? Didn't they want to have real accomplishments? She glared at a toddler that was encroaching on her personal space. Either way, they needed to keep their damn spawn next to them and away from her.

Her name was called a few minutes later, to her relief. She anxiously followed the nurse down the hall and into a room, where she took Emily's vitals and asked a few routine questions. The nurse left after informing her that the doctor would be in shortly. Emily undressed and put on the paper gown, desperately fighting the urge to swing her legs back and forth. After a few moments she absentmindedly went to take a sip of monster, but just stared at her empty hand. She took a few deep breaths and focused her attention to the posters on the wall. It was various stuff about breastfeeding, vaccines, and prenatal care. "Of course." She muttered and rolled her eyes. One of these days she would get the permanent solution for her problem, but for now this was the next best thing. At least the doctor actually agreed to do the procedure.

An older woman slipped through the door and introduced herself as Dr. Kyne, catching Emily off guard as she talked to a different doctor for the consultation. They shook hands and exchanged pleasantries before getting down to business.

"All right, are you ready?" Dr. Kyne asked with a warm smile.

"Yeah." Emily said with a nervous smile.

"Alrighty." Dr. Kyne said as she pulled out the stirrups. Emily was thankful for her socks as she awkwardly positioned herself on the table.

"I'm going to measure your uterus to make sure it will fit. You'll feel some cramping." Said Dr. Kyne as she reached for the tools.

Bill fiddled with the program that let him get a live feed from the cameras he had just installed. They both captured just what he was looking for. He couldn't wait for later. With a sigh he made his way back to Emily's room and flopped onto the bed. A whine escaped his lips as he curled into a ball, cradling a pillow to his chest. If only… He thought of the kisses they shared and how he needed more. Why was it so goddamn hard for her to see that he would provide for her, take care of her, love her better than some barely legal boy?! Silly girl!

Bill sat up, still clutching the pillow, and looked around the room once more. He wanted her as his wife, as the mother of his children. He would have a perfect family like Hank. His smile fell as he came back to reality. She hadn't even noticed that he had been working out, he sighed in disappointment.

He thought back to the cook out and how she recoiled from Gracie. A frown tugged at his lips. Why would she react so strongly to such a cute little girl? Could she have just been in a bad mood? She didn't seem to take too kindly to Bobby either, he thought worriedly. Well she did spend a lot of time isolated in her room, maybe she just needs a little time to warm up. Admittedly Bill really wanted to see her hold Gracie and tried to picture it. She would make a good mother, she definitely had the hips for it, he mused with a smirk.

Emily groaned as she managed to sit up. It hurt a lot worse than what she had read, however, it was worth the pain. The walk back was daunting as she still felt feint from the procedure. She took her time getting dressed and made her way back to the receptionist to schedule a follow-up appointment. She knew roughly about how much it would cost, but seeing it caused physical pain. "$800?! Jesus!" Emily thought miserably while counting out the last little bit of her money. She would only be able to afford one more month of rent. If she didn't get hired in the next couple of weeks she'd be screwed, especially since her parents wouldn't even entertain the notion of letting her crawl back. They had since shut off what limited service her cell phone had, even after the somewhat emotional call she had with her dad.

A toddler let out a piercing scream because it's mother dared to use her phone for something other than it's entertainment. Emily reflexively gave it a pointed glare on her way out the door. "How could parents be so damn inconsiderate?" She thought in annoyance.

She hugged herself and trudged down the sidewalk in the brutal Texan heat. Beads of sweat formed almost instantly. The pain better be worth it. The clinic was barely out of sight before she had to sit down. The cramps were getting worse, making her consider going back to the clinic. Everything should be fine, she just needed to rest...after the journey home. She regretted not asking Bill for a ride. He probably wouldn't have minded.

"Stupid fertility. Stupid babies. Stupid uterus." She grumbled as she slowly got back on her feet. She hated the hoops she had to jump through to just not get pregnant. Emily was furious when she was told that she was too young to decide she never wanted kids, but y'know, totally old enough to be a mom. "Fucking double standards."

She actually wanted to accomplish something with her life, not end up like Luanne. Pregnancy was not an option. The traumatic changes that happened to the body during pregnancy disgusted her. Emily obsessively poured over what there was to know about it and decided she wanted no part of it whatsoever. She despised the thought of harboring such a parasite in her body. She was thankful she wouldn't have to worry about birth control for the next five years. Maybe then she can get the partial hysterectomy she desperately needed.

Emily grunted as she had to dodge a kid flying down the sidewalk on his bike. "Watch where you're going!" She barked as she doubled over from the sudden activity. Stupid kids. She couldn't wait to get out of the sun, and off her feet. Time seemed to crawl by.

What felt like hours later, she finally stumbled onto Rainey Street. Her vision tunneled on Bill's house. It was so close, but it might as well of been a thousand miles away.

She yelped in protest when arms suddenly scooped her up, relaxing when she noticed it was only Bill. "What are you doing?" She demanded tiredly as she looked where he was taking her. She glowered when she overheard snickers from Bill's friends. She had half a mind to flip the off.

He opened the door with ease and continued to Emily's room. Bill gently set her down and lingered for a moment. "Are you okay, Emily?" He asked, his face creased with worry.

"Yeah, just not feeling the greatest. Why did you carry me in like that? I was fine." She asked tiredly, a bit weirded out from the contact.

"You looked like were about to pass out." Bill said concerned.

"Well I'm fine."

He nodded and left the room. She curled into a ball. Bill came back with a tall, cool glass of water and set it down on the nightstand beside her before leaving quietly.

"Thanks." Emily said weakly as she waved. Bill gave a tight smile and reluctantly left. She greedily gulped down the entire glass of water and laid back down. She fell asleep quickly from the exhaustion

Bill stared at her sleeping form through the computer monitor. He caressed the screen as he desperately wanted to know what happened and if she really was okay. "Sweet dreams..."


	9. Chapter 9

Bill watched Emily stir awake with anticipation. She had fallen asleep while still wearing yesterday's clothes. He flinched when lightning struck nearby, hoping it would pass soon. Her beauty was like no other, anticipation filled him when he watched her shuffle out of her room. He switched to the bathroom camera and his mouth hung agape as she undressed, the mystery finally unraveled. His hungry eyes soaked up the scene, taking in every little detail that he could discern from the feed. She turned on the water to the shower before using the toilet. It thrilled him to see her doing something so private. He felt his connection to her deepen, as if they were sharing something intimate. A predatory grin spread on his face as he watched her lather up. Oh how he wanted to barge in and give her a big helping hand, feel her wet, perfect creamy skin against his.

Emily stood under the spray of the hot water wishing the cramps would just disappear. She was rather happy with her new birth control, just not the adjustment period. With a sigh she stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself. She absentmindedly walked into the kitchen to grab a monster before it clicked that she was only in a towel. Emily made an awkward dash back to her room. That was close. She wrapped the towel around her hair and got dressed in a green nightgown. She curled back up and stared at the angry looking sky out of the window. It was a sleepy day, and Emily had no problem with falling back to sleep.

Frustration filled Bill as he stared at the girl through the screen. He wanted to hold her in his arms and bury his face into her wet hair. Tears welled up in his eyes as the crushing loneliness hit him in full force. Bill hugged himself tightly as sobs racked his body. Why did he have to be alone? Didn't he deserve love too? He angrily wiped his eyes and glared at the dozing off girl on screen. They shared wonderful kisses, was his passion not enough for her? Couldn't she look past his physical flaws? She couldn't be this shallow, right?

The light drizzle of rain turned into a sudden down pour as lightning streaked across the sky. A loud clap of thunder startled Emily awake with a loud shriek. She shut her eyes tightly in embarrassment before laughing quietly at herself. Just as she was relaxed the power blinked off. "Great." She said in irritation.

"Emily?" Called Bill's desperate voice.

"What?" She answered back, not hiding her annoyance.

"Could you come here please?" He asked with a wince in his voice.

"Ugh!" Emily rolled her eyes and padded into the living room with a monster in hand. "What is it?"

"C-could you muh-maybe stay i-in here with me?" He asked, begging her with his eyes.

"I guess." She said with a shrug and sat on the opposite end of the couch.

"Thank you!" He said in relief, noting the distance between them.

Emily stared at ceiling in boredom, hoping that the power would be back on soon and they could return to their usual routine. She was used to storms like these and welcomed them from the usual. It made the calm weather more enjoyable.

A loud clap of thunder shook the house, causing Bill to jump, inevitably much closer to Emily. She gave him a look of concern and wondered what she was in for. Bill smiled sheepishly and hugged himself.

"Are you okay, Bill?" Emily asked in concern.

"Y-yeah."

She shrugged and blew a strand of hair out of her face. A loud hiss from Emily's monster gave him a start. "Are you sure you're okay?" She asked again.

"Heheh, don't worry about me..." He said nervously, wondering when this damn storm would blow through. Emily raised a skeptical brow, but said nothing.

Next thing she knew she was pulled into his lap, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. She sat there for a moment in shock before trying to wriggle free, spilling some of her drink. "What the hell?!" She demanded as she twisted to face him. They locked eyes for a moment. Emily paused when she felt him shaking. "Let me go." She snapped.

He broke down crying, holding her in a death grip. Bill was incredibly embarrassed about being afraid and needed comfort, needed love. He whispered an apology into her ear and begged her to just let him hold her. She angrily relented, feeling she owed it to him for letting her have food and a roof over her head for a steal. She hated the tingles his breath sent down her spine. This was probably very inappropriate and wanted to ask him again to be let go. Frustrated she did nothing, much to her own annoyance.

Bill nuzzled the back of her head and kissed her neck, making her freeze up. "S-stop." She stuttered breathlessly, weakly trying to pull away. "You smell so good." He whispered into her ear, his lips brushing against it, welcoming the much needed distraction from the weather. She felt a firm bulge push against her bottom, ice ran up her spine, sobering her up some. "T-this has to s-stop." She tried again as he nibbled on her lobe. "B-Bill, STOP!" She snarled as she wrenched herself free. She glared at him, her chest heaving.

"I'm so sorry! Please, Emily." He stumbled as he tried to quickly stand, not even bothering to try to hide his raging erection. He placed his hands on her shoulders when she tried to back away. She pushed her drink in his chest to try to get some sort of leverage. "I'm sorry...I-I-I don't know what come over me!" He frantically said as he tightened his grip.

"You're scaring me! Stop!" Emily's voice cracked.

"Can we talk about this?" He pleaded, as tears streamed down his face.

"I-I don't...I guess..." She said timidly, clutching her drink with a shaky hand. He lead her over to the couch by the shoulders and sat right next to her, taking her hand into his own. She tried to pull it away only to have him tighten his grip. She felt sick as he rubbed circles on the back of her hand with his thumb.

"Emily...I..." He trailed off as he stared at their hands. His small smile fell to a frown knowing that it was against her will. "I love you." He confessed with a cry as he gazed intently into her eyes.

She was taken back and didn't know how to respond. "O-oh?" She managed to stutter out.

He wasn't sure how to take her shocked expression and pressed for and answer, "So?"

"I-I don't know what t-to make of that." She said shakily, scared to anger him.

"I-I'm in love with you, Emily." He tried again, his hope diminishing. She nearly choked on the breath she was taking.

"How can you be in love with me when we don't even really know each other?" She asked trying to think of plan in case things turned sour.

"We know enough." He argued as he clasped his other hand over hers.

"All I know about you is you cut hair for the Army and your work schedule..." She said with a start, realizing she had no idea who she was actually living with, for all she knew he could have been the next Craig's List killer...or still could be. A pit formed in her stomach.

"Really?" He asked, hurt from her lack of any interest.

"You don't know much about me either." She said, gaining a little confidence.

"I know that you spend all day playing sci-fi looking games. You have one of those drinks in your hand at all times. You gush about every dog you've spotted and watch Ladybird from the window sometimes. You hate pants. You like to go off and explore sometimes. You do this cute thing when you drink coffee in the morning, trying to wake up." He paused and took in her uncomfortable expression.

Emily shifted nervously, "O-okay, you know a little about me. What do you want?"

"You, Emily, I want you. I want us." He said in desperation as he placed her hand on his chest.

"Like like a relationship? Boyfriend, girlfriend type thing?" Emily said as fear froze her heart.

"Yes!" He said anxiously.

"I don't like you that way!" Emily blurted out, her own outburst startling her.

"You could! We could work if you give us a chance." He cried desperately practically in her lap.

She pressed her back against the arm of the couch, "You're like twice my fucking age! We have nothing in common! We're not compatible!" Emily snapped fearfully, feeling trapped.

"We don't have to be, we have everything the other needs." He said as he straddled her lap, practically crushing her into the couch. She caught herself hyperventilating and took a few deep breaths to clear her head.

"You're not thinking clearly, Bill. Get off me." She gently but firmly, pushing a little against his chest.

"I am! Emily, please give us a chance! I've been so lonely all these years. I love you! We can work. You won't want for anything." He persisted, looming over her.

"Bill, I assume you'd want to be more than a boyfriend eventually, right?" She asked with a bite to her voice.

"Well yes, Emily." He said, furrowing his brows in confusion.

"You'd also want kids, right?" Emily asked, knowing this would be good leverage.

"Of course, Emily." He said softly as he tilted his head to the side.

"I don't." She said firmly.

He stared at her in confusion. What could she mean? "We don't have to have them right away, we can wait a few years." He said with a nervous laugh.

"I don't want kids ever." She said in irritation.

"What?" He blinked, not understanding. "Wouldn't you want to have the children of the man you love?"

"No, kids are not the ultimate expression of love. I would want it to be just me and him. I can't be with someone who wants kids, I'd rather be alone." She said with confidence, freeing her drink hand and taking a sip.

He couldn't understand that she wouldn't want to have kids? Women loved kids, what was wrong with her? "Emily, you don't mean that." He tried, stroking her cheek with the back of his hand.

"I do with every fiber of my being." She said seriously, looking intently into his eyes, ignoring the gestures of affection.

"Emily...You'll change your mind." He said gently with a mix of sadness.

"I won't." She spat.

"We don't have to have children, my love." He said in defeat.

"You would grow to resent me after a while." She said in determination, studying his reaction.

"I could never resent you." He said softly.

"You would. Just as I would resent you for pushing me to have them. We aren't meant for each other. We can be friends-" He cut her off by smashing his lips on hers. He held her floundering body to his chest, ignoring the soda spilling all over her chest. She tried to push him away and realized in horror she was pitifully weak. Emily clamped her teeth down on his tongue and dug her nails into his flesh. He froze and tried to pull his tongue away. She let go after a few seconds and glared daggers at him.

"Emily, I need you."

"You need a fucking psychiatrist!" She snarled as she tried to free herself from under him.

"Emily!" He snapped in shock. "We can put the kid thing aside and just be together. I can provide more that some young punk!"

"It's not about that!" She cried in exasperation.

"Oh is it because I'm fat and balding? I didn't realize how shallow you were." He snarled in her face.

"It's none of that! Jesus fucking Christ!" She said with a crack in her voice, tears of frustration poured down her face.

"Then what is it?" He demanded, noting her tears.

"I-I just...I don't know...everything I told you is why." She said in defeat.

"Emily, I can be everything those boys are, better even." He whispered gently as he stroked her soaked hair.

"No, you can't. By the time I'm your age, you'd probably be dead or decrepit. It wouldn't be fair to me. It's like getting a puppy when you're 99 and then dying a year or two later. What's going to happen to that puppy that has bonded with you? It's not fair." Emily sniffled as she pleaded with her eyes.

"You're not a puppy, Emily, and I'm not that old." He said, offended.

"We can forget this happened and go back to what we normally do." She offered desperately, growing even more uncomfortable with her wet sticky hair clinging to her neck and shoulders.

"I can't, Emily. Let me love you. Give us a chance. You might find yourself wrong." He whispered into her ear as he caressed her neck with his thumb. She swallowed thickly as her heart leapt into her throat.

"I can't, Bill. We aren't meant for each other. We want different things from life." She sniffled and let out a nervous laugh. "I want to have a small house by some lake, with a few dogs and a good internet connection. I want to travel with all these dogs, I want to play Destiny at midnight with the man I love, have coffee in Seattle, Lobster in Maine, hike through the redwood forest in California, stare up at the stars in the night sky and question life. I want a man that is closer to my age that shares my passions."

"I can be that man. I can learn how to play video games, I love dogs and coffee too." He whispered with a hopeful smile.

"You want children, I couldn't deprive you of that." She said softly, while awkwardly caressing his cheek. "Just like I can't deprive myself of a life without them."

"I don't want kids if that's the only thing keeping us apart." He said desperately.

"You do want kids, you said so yourself. If I have to leave..." He put a finger to her lips and violently shook his head. She sighed, this was getting no where, no matter the angle she tried. Looks like she would have to crawl back to her parents and beg for forgiveness.

"Emily, let me give that to you, I can retire in less than a year and we can get as many dogs and games as you want." He pleaded as he caressed her collar bone. She grit her teeth.

"Don't do this to yourself, Bill. You're a good man with a good heart. I'll pack my stuff tonight and see if I can get my parents to let me go back." She said tiredly, happy for the little freedom she did have.

"NO!" He cried and held her in a death grip, sobbing into the crook of her neck.

"Bill..." She patted his shoulder awkwardly, biting her lip in frustration.

"Emily, please, I need you."

"No, you don't. You like the idea of me, that's all. You're a lonely man that latched onto the presumably only female that gave you the time of day in a while. You were fine without me and you will be fine. We can still be friends, but I think it would be best if I moved out." Emily stated firmly as she noticed that she had slowly slid down to laying on her back.

"I am lonely! I love you, not just the idea of you! Please, I don't think I can handle anymore rejection." He said tiredly as he laid his head on her chest.

"Loneliness isn't a good enough reason to settle for someone." Emily said not bothering to hide her irritation.

"I'm not settling!" He cried out bitterly, gripping her sides tightly.

"You're being desperate and settling. I think you should have some time to think, by yourself." She said through grit teeth and failed at trying to free herself.

"I have thought about this! Don't be so full of yourself to know what I want or feel!" He snapped, his tears falling onto her chest. She rolled her eyes and huffed. "You're all I have." He whispered painfully.

"What about your friends? Family? Do they mean nothing to you?" She snapped incredulously.

He snorted and laughed bitterly, "I'm the butt-end to all their jokes, the annoying tag-along, my presence ruins their get togethers. They don't care that I'm depressed, or that their jokes hurt me."

She stared at the ceiling, her forehead creased in thought. "Have you told them?" She asked after a short pause.

"Yes, once. It didn't do any good, things always slip back." He said sadly, pressing his cheek against her chest.

"Get new friends then." She suggested sternly, trying to figure out the mix of feelings swirling in her chest. He snorted and huffed.

"I have no place in this world. No one loves me or cares about me..." He said as he reached for something behind him.

Emily gave him a befuddled look and gasped when she saw the gun he pressed under his chin. "What the fuck?! Stop!" She yelled, trying to unpin her arms.

"I love you, sweet Emily." He said morosely as he pulled back the hammer.

"I love you, please don't! Bill please!" She sobbed as terror flooded her entire being. Emily finally freed one of arms. He let her gently pry the gun out of his hand as he stared at her in surprise. She awkwardly slid the gun under the couch where he couldn't easily get it back.

"You...love...me?" He asked as tears poured down his pace.

"As your friend and fellow human being yes." She said as she blinked away her tears.

He huffed, "As my friend..."

"Is that not enough?" Emily asked hoarsely, still reeling from what had just happened.

"...no..." He said quietly, withdrawn.

"Best friends?" She tried, unsure of how to fix the situation.

"We marry our best friends that are the fairer sex, Emily." He deadpanned. Emily scrunched her face and shook her head in frustration.

"Emily, where did you put the gun?" He asked, his voice gravely.

"I'm not telling you. I don't want you to hurt yourself, Bill. I care about you! Please! You're scaring me!" Emily cried, angry tears flowed down her cheeks.

"The world is better off without William Fontaine dela Tour Dauterive, Emily. Where is the gun?" He asked again, scanning the darkened living room.

"Like hell you're blowing your brains out, let alone on top of me!" She snapped, slapping him hard across the cheek. He reeled from the sudden blow. He stared down at her in shock.

"This is the only life we get and damn it you're not going to throw it away just like that! You're my friend and I won't let you!" She screamed griping his shoulders tightly, not even caring about the wildly inappropriate position they had been in the entire time.

"It's MY life to throw away! Why do you suddenly care so much?" He snapped bitterly.

"Goddamn it, man! I don't want anything bad to happen to you! I do care!" Emily snarled helplessly, pleading with her eyes.

"I want to be the man you play, what was it, Destiny with, and share a little house on the lake with all the dogs you could ever want. I want to be more than friends." He said desperately his eyes bloodshot from the all the crying.

"What if I don't want you to be that man?" Emily asked at her wits end after a few tense moments of silence.

He stared at her in disbelief, "What difference would it make if it was me or some young punk? We can get that house on the lake, it can be a reality soon, versus some boy who it would take around ten years to save enough money. I can be what you need, I can give you what you want. Please...Emily...give me a chance...just one...I might surprise you." He begged, loosening his grip on her.

"I...please don't put me in this position..." Emily asked hoarsely, breaking.

He wiped away tears with the back of his hand and reached down, nearly crushing Emily, as he felt around for the gun.

"Bill." She wheezed as tried to push him off. He ignored her and found what he was looking for. Her eyes widened as this was really happening.

"No! Stop! Please!" She cried, her head pounding.

He ignored her and slowly put the gun to his chin. She decided to risk it and pushed the gun away from his face, it went off. Emily screamed as it fell to the floor with a thud, she looked at Bill wildly, he looked just as shaken, but very much alive.

Emily fell back and cried in relief, she pulled him down by the collar of his shirt and held him tightly, sobbing into his shoulder. "I'll...give...us...a chance." She said in between sobs.

"R-Really?" He asked in disbelief.

"Yes!" She forced out hoarsely, trying to process the situation.

The phone rang, startling both of them. Bill sniffled, and rolled off of Emily to answer it. She stared at the ceiling, feeling disturbed more than anything. What was she going to do when they inevitably broke up? She didn't want him to be her first, she hated the little amount of forced time they spent together already. Who was she kidding? Who would want to share a life with her anyway? This isn't right, but maybe he had a point, she wondered. Maybe love was settling? The only example she had in real life was her parents. She shook her head and cried. This is not how she imagined life. She had no idea what "real" life was, only the sheltered one she lived with her parents. Is that all it was? Settling? She snorted, maybe it was, after all life was just a cosmic accident, animals didn't care about these silly things. Here she had a man promising the sun and moon for her love and she turned her nose up. Was she the asshole for having standards?

Emily peered into the kitchen where Bill was explaining the gunshot to who ever on the other end. She took in his gut and balding head and tried not to cringe. What the hell did she just agree to? Memories of the night he stood up for her came to mind. No one had ever done that before. Was she just being shallow? He was kind enough...the kid thing nagged at her. She didn't care what anyone said, she was not having them, no matter how right or wrong she was. She felt like she was cheating him out of something he seemed to desperately want, it was something that couldn't be compromised and something she wouldn't budge on. She hoped he would come to his senses soon.

Bill came back to the living room and sat next to Emily, several shades of embarrassment on his face. He wrung his hands as he tried to find something to say. "I'm sorry, Emily, I don't know what came over me."

"Just don't do anything like that again!" She cried, giving him a stern look.

"Did you really mean it?" He asked, turning towards her.

"...Yes." She said quietly, regretting her decision already.

"Emily." He said softly as he place his warm hand over hers. She forced a smile and hoped she could shower soon, feeling sick. Bill pulled her into his lap and planted a kiss on her lips. She forced herself to kiss him back as she didn't think about this aspect of a relationship with him. He deepened the kiss as he pressed himself against her. Unsure of what to do she didn't stop him.

Is this what's suppose to happen right after something like that? She wondered as he laid her on her back and straddled her hips. How was she supposed to react? Emily froze when she felt a hand snaking up her gown, gasping when her squeezed her breast. She was not ready for this, but wasn't sure how to tell him that after he almost killed himself over her. She hated how it felt good, how he made her want more. It was so new and her emotions were spent.

He kissed her neck as he ground his erection against her pelvis. Bill managed to pull off her night gown sat back, admiring her mostly naked form. He moved to take off her panties next.

She pushed his hands away breathlessly, feeling exposed her cheeks flushed in shame, "N-No, we can't." He gave her a questioning look.

"I can't do anything like that for at least two weeks because of my birth control." She explained awkwardly.

"I have condoms or I could just pull out, Emily." He whispered lustfully.

"That's not why, ugh, it's to make sure it will stay in place!" She said, thankful for her Mirena and hoped that would be enough time for him to come to his senses.

"Stay in place?" He asked, furrowing his brows, while playing with one of her nipples.

"Eh….It's a small plastic device that keeps you from getting pregnant..." She said with a cringe and just wanted to bolt to her room. He stared at her for a moment, trying to imagine what she was talking about. Bill wanted to ask more questions, but her expression made him pause.

"So after two weeks we can have sex?" He asked, his face resting on her breast.

"Uh...well with protection technically. Bill I...I'm not ready for that." She said nervously, wanting to cover herself.

"We don't have to jump right in to sex, we can other stuff for now." He said softly as he caressed her ribs. That was the thing. She didn't want to do any of this stuff with him and now she felt obligated, this is what she was afraid of. If she backed out of it later would he still kill himself? Could she force herself to want him? Should she? Emily squeezed her eyes shut and sighed heavily. What was she to do?

"Bill, I'm not ready for what other stuff is supposed to entail. I...look, I'm not ready for a relationship to be honest with you. We both said and did shit in the heat of the moment. Please don't…please don't hurt yourself or take this the wrong way." She said, trying to let him down gently.

"So you're saying you...lied to me." Bill snapped, deeply hurt.

"No, I...ugh, fuck me...It's really uncool of you to put me in this position. I...it doesn't really matter does it?" She sighed in defeat and stared at the ceiling in despair.

He placed a warm palm on her wet cheek and gave her a sad smile. "You saved me, Emily."

'At what cost?' She thought miserably, her hands were tied, sure she could say screw this, but she felt she couldn't. This wasn't some alien she could blast through, this was real life and it sucked.

He saw right through her and knew he couldn't let her go, sure it was shitty, but it worked. He hoped this was the only time he had to do something like that, though he wouldn't be opposed to doing it again. Bill's heart swelled that she at least cared enough to sacrifice herself like this. Now she could be his forever, he hoped.

"Can't wait for the power to turn back on, I need another shower." She sighed, angry about the whole situation.

"Mmm me too." He moaned as he kissed her collar bone.

"By myself..." She deadpanned. He still had his cameras so it didn't bother him too much.

"Emily, I want to be intimate with you." He whined, playfully nipping her neck.

"I'm sure most couples don't have sex the first night they become a thing...right?" Emily wondered out loud nervously.

"It happens." He whispered huskily into her ear.

"I'm really confused okay! I don't want you to hurt yourself, but I'm not ready for this kind of relationship. You're making me feel and want things I feel I'm not ready for. This feels unfair to me." She said with a sob. He gently wiped her tears away.

"We don't have to do anything right now." He offered, planting kisses on her tear stained cheek.

'Am I shallow?' Emily asked herself with uncertainty. Flashes of lightning pulled her out of her thoughts. She forgot it was even storming. "The roof is leaking." She pointed out.

With a sigh he got up to fetch a bucket. Emily took the opportunity to bolt to her room and put on a fresh set of clothes. She put on a pair of black exercise shorts, and a loose forest green shirt, feeling a little less dirty. Now she had to make good on her word less he try to kill himself again. She sighed. It was pretty selfish of him, even with that knowledge she couldn't let him, she felt beyond guilty that she was the catalyst that pushed him over the edge with just her presence. It didn't have to make sense, she felt it was her fault. A small part of herself was nagging at her to not sacrifice herself for someone that was so unstable. Emily pushed away the feeling and tried to focus on how she was going to fix the situation without losing her virginity to him and him not committing suicide. It was going to be nearly impossible to if he kept teasing her like that, she sighed hopelessly and wished she never left her parents home. She shook her head, sure she got herself in a shitty situation, but it was still better than watching the world through a window. Maybe being with Bill wouldn't be so bad, she tried to convince herself.

Bill placed a bucket under the hole in the roof. His smile fell when saw the vacant couch. She did seem upset. Could she have lied? He wondered, pangs of anxiety made his stomach drop. Surely she didn't, she seemed genuine. He would just die if she rejected him now. He anxiously made his way to her room and knocked on the door. "Emily love?" He called out quietly.

"Yeah?" She answered tiredly.

He opened the door and found her laying on the bed, staring out of the window, to his disappointment clothed. He scooped her up into his arms, taking her to his room where the bed was bigger and more comfortable. She gave him a look of confusion as he set her down. He smiled in reassurance and took off his shirt as he sat down on the other side of the bed. Emily stared at his exposed torso and wondered how she was supposed to be attracted to that. She pursed her lips and silently chastised herself, maybe she was shallow…

He scooted over to her, lying on his side. She stared at his very hairy armpit and tried in vain to not make a face. It was just hair after all…she tried to reason with herself. Emily stared at him blankly, unsure of what to do. All she wanted to do was sleep and wake up from this nightmare. He caressed her side with his fingertips as he waited for her to lay next to him. She got the message and laid back stiffly, he pulled her to his chest and snaked a hand under her shirt, resting it between her breasts, over her heart. Bill nuzzled the back of her neck contently.

This wasn't so bad...It did feel kind of nice to be held. The tension melted away as she fell asleep from exhaustion. Bill kissed the back of her head and wished her sweet dreams, having a hard time believing this was real. It was and he was overjoyed. She couldn't leave him or he would threaten his life again. He didn't care if it was wrong, he was with the love of his life now and that was all that mattered, that they were together.

It did trouble him that she didn't want kids. He snorted, she would change her mind, she was just young, especially if she wound up accidentally pregnant. Bill had everything he wanted now. All that was left to do get them a home some where more excluded, so she didn't have a chance to change her mind. He held her tightly as he tried to ignore the storm outside and hopefully fall asleep as well.


	10. Chapter 10

A loud snore woke Emily with a start. She rolled out of bed, her limbs tangled in the sheets, landing with a thud. She looked up to see Bill peering over the edge of the bed with a sheepish smile. She didn't bother to mask the horror on her face. It wasn't a dream. Emily shook herself out of her stupor and scrambled out of the room to her own, ignoring Bill. What the hell was she thinking yesterday? Her stomach churned as memories of last night came back to her groggy mind. The taste of him and feel of his arousal made her want to scrub her skin off. Why would he put her in such a position? Doubt filled her that he would come to his senses. What was she to do? She sighed as the hiss of a monster can filled the silent room.

The soft sound of muffled music caught Bill's attention as he stared out of his door in the direction that Emily had fled moments ago. He didn't understand what had upset her so much. A woman had never tore out of his bed like that before, nothing even happened between them, leaving him hurt and confused. Bill got out of bed and made his way to Emily's room, ready to demand answers.

"Emily?" He called out, only for the volume of the music to be turned up. He glared at the door for a moment. "Emily! Open up! You're acting like a teenager!" He shouted, pausing for a moment, awkwardly remembering that's exactly what she is.

Emily gave the door a 'what the fuck' look and turned up the music more, taking a long sip of her monster. "Fuck off!" She shouted as she turned on her console.

"Emily!" He shouted angrily as he barged in. She drowned out his shouting by turning up the music, all the while keeping her eyes locked with his. His physical appearance repulsed her as he didn't bother getting dressed. He unplugged her speakers and crossed his arms.

She rolled her eyes as it was getting to the best part of the song and that she now had to listen to his whiny voice. She shoved past him to plug her sound system back in. "GET OUT!" She snarled, her fists balled at her sides.

Bill stood there taking in her furious stance, he picked her up and sandwiched her between himself and the wall. She glared daggers at him as she tried to free her arms. He put his lips to her ear, "Let's talk about this. Like adults." He whispered angrily, his grip tightening.

Emily ignored the pain and snarled into his ear "Get off me you fucking wannabreeder!"

"What?" He matched the intensity of her glare.

"I said-"

"Breeder?" He snarled incredulously, squeezing her shoulders harder. "Is this what this is all about? Don't be so fucking immature, Emily."

"I'm far from immature! I'm saving you heartbreak and time, Bill." She said with a withering glare.

"Saving me from heartbreak? Too late for that!" He spat acidly.

"No it isn't!" She shouted in his face.

"Emily, you're the only thing I live for." He said yelled as he stroked her cheek.

She turned her head away, "Find something else then!"

"Do I mean nothing to you?!" He demanded as he was practically crushing her.

"God-fucking-damn!" She screamed in fury as she thrashed around.

"Watch your mouth!" He snarled, spraying saliva on her face.

"FUCK YOU!" She screamed as she attempted to head butt him.

He snorted, "Oh now you want to have sex."

"what the- Are you stupid?!" She snarled as she gave him a 'what the hell' look.

"Far from it." He said in a low venom laced voice.

"You want to talk, fucking talk then." She snapped, waiting impatiently.

"Why are you being like this? I thought you were my girlfriend, Emily. You said you'd give me a chance. Breeder? Grow the hell up. You wanted to move away from mommy and daddy to be an adult, act like one. You're in an adult relationship now, deal with it like a fucking adult!" He snarled in her face, holding her higher.

"Since I'm in an adult relationship I can end it whenever I want, like a fucking adult." She spat acidly, her features twisted. Bill spluttered for a moment realizing he had set himself up there.

"You can't just end it like that." He spat indignantly.

"Why not? I am an adult after all." She snarled with a vicious smile.

"Because you can't! Why do you want to?" He yelled desperately as he searched her twisted features for answers.

"Do you really have to ask that?" She snapped, rolling her eyes.

"You're breaking up with me because I want children?!" He yelled angrily in her face.

"Is that a problem?!" Emily asked incredulously.

He stared at her for a moment and shook his head. "Wow, you're immature and a liar."

"How the fuck am I a liar?!" She asked as she bared her teeth.

"You said you'd give me a chance!" His voice cracked as he held back the dam of tears.

"You had a gun to your head! What the fuck was I suppose to do?!" Emily shouted, as she glared into his eyes.

"Have some compassion!" He wailed as he sobbed bitterly.

"This is compassion." She said calmly as she struggled again.

"Just love me! It would be the same with any other man! Just stay with me! I won't hurt you like them." He said between sobs. She stared at him unsure of what to think or say. Love doesn't work like that, right?

"You could grow to love me, if you would just give us a chance. Let me make your dreams come true." He pleaded as he stared up at her.

"What about your dreams?" She asked, tears threatening to fall.

"You're my dreams. I can't live without you, I won't." He said in a desperate hopefulness as he gently set her down.

"C'mon man, don't do this to me." Emily pleaded, still trapped between him and the wall.

"You'd love me once you got to know me." He said as he sniffled.

"I'm pretty sure this is not how these things work." Emily snapped.

"You can't seem to get enough when we kiss, that's the first step…" He whispered, his lips brushing against hers. She shivered and cursed him for being right.

"Kiss me, Emily." He whispered as he wrapped his arms around her waist. She shook her head and tried to take a step back only to be pulled closer. He lost patience and kissed her cheek, trailing her jawline to her neck. A moan escaped her lips as he sucked on her neck, spurring him on.

"S-stop." She moaned as she tried to weakly push him away.

"Not until I change your mind." He whispered into her ear, his lips brushing against her lobe, sending sparks down her spine. Emily wrapped her arms around his neck and bit her lip as all the anger left her. This is not how she wanted to react. She wanted to push him away and slap some sense into him, at the same time she didn't want to stop. Why did it have to feel so good?

"See? You do want me." He whispered into her ear with a smirk.

"You don't play fair." Emily snapped breathlessly. He nipped her neck playfully in response. "Stop, I'm mad at you." She moaned as he nibbled on her ear.

"Let me make you feel good." He moaned lustfully as he squeezed a handful of her ass, grinding her pelvis.

"It will only end badly." She whined as she tried to pull away.

Bill's wet eyes met her gaze, "It doesn't have to, my love."

"It won't work." She tried again.

"We can make it work. You're the only thing I want in this life." He said breathlessly, gazing deeply into her eyes.

"Bill, you're making this harder than it has to be. We are too different." She said with a sigh.

"We're not so different, Emily. I don't want kids if it means we can't be together." He lied as he caressed her collarbone. "I won't live without you. You know you care about me. You love me, if you didn't you would have let me kill myself. You don't want to admit it, but you love me. Just give us a chance." He whispered.

"Okay." She said somberly, feeling trapped. What choice did she have? She certainly had no idea of how love worked. It's not like they were going to get married or anything, she tried to reassure herself.

"Do you mean it this time?" He asked as he stroked her soft hair.

"Yeah." She said softly, not meeting his eyes.

He gently lifted her chin and pressed his lips to hers. Emily hated how his touch swayed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, guilt for betraying herself nagged at the back of her mind. Bill carried her to his bed and laid on top of her. Emily moaned as he massaged her breast.

She sobered up when his hand snaked down her shorts. He stroked the coarse hair there, while nuzzling the crook of her neck. "I love you, Emily." He whispered breathlessly. It was all wrong, but she didn't want to stop him. She gasped when his large fingers found her clitoris.

"I uh have to go to the bathroom." She said awkwardly as she pulled away from him, he ignored her and held her in place. Emily whined as she tried to push his hand away. "Bill, stop."

"But Emily you're so wet." He growled lustfully as he ground his erection into her thigh.

"We should s-stop" She moaned as she weakly pushed him.

He continued and slipped a finger into her. "Let me pleasure you." She moaned loudly as she gripped his shoulder tightly, digging her nails in, eliciting an excited hiss from Bill.

Bill pulled his boxers off, leaving himself stark naked. Posing in a way for Emily to get a good look at all of him. She placed a hand over her racing heart and tried to mask her repulsion. She had seen diagrams of penises, but they certainly were much uglier in person, not to mention his fat rolls were a definite turn off. It was strange, his body felt good to her hand but repulsed her when she looked at him. Was she shallow? Emily questioned herself for the hundredth time. She turned to leave and stopped when she saw her missing toothbrush sitting on his dresser, along with one of her socks, a monster tab, an old online pass code to one of her games. What the hell? She went to the bathroom to get some space.

What was she doing? This is all wrong. This isn't how things were supposed to happen. She hated how he wouldn't take no for an answer and kept touching her; she hated how she let him. How far did he want to go? What the fuck was up with her stuff in his room? It made her stomach churn as she thought of other stuff that seemed off. She hoped she would get hired soon so she could get the hell out of here.

Bill stared out of the door in anticipation for her return. He looked at the clock, a few minutes had passed, maybe just needed a few more. He heard the door open and excitedly awaited her return. Bill got up when he heard her bedroom door shut, wondering what she was doing. "Emily?" He called out as he opened the door, startling her.

She stared at him like a deer caught in headlights. He stepped inside the room, angrily snatched the controller out of her hand. "Hey!" She shouted as she tried to get it back.

"What the hell, Emily?! You just left me there." He snapped as he put the controller behind his back.

"I...uh...sorry." She said sheepishly as she crept around him.

"We're you just going to play a video game while I was waiting for you?!" He snapped, considering locking it up somewhere.

"Yea..." She said quietly as she reached for her controller.

"What is wrong with you? You could have at least said something!"

"I tried! You wouldn't have any of it!" She yelled as she went to snatch it back.

"I don't think you deserve to play after that. I'll give it back when I feel you've earned it." He said passive aggressively, holding it out of her reach.

"You can't do that! Give it back!" She yelled as she used his shoulder for leverage, admonishing herself for ever considering hooking up with him.

"Watch me, love." He said with a nasty smirk as he turned to leave.

"You son of a bitch!" Emily snarled, pacing closer with a withering glare.

"Excuse me?" He snapped as he whirled around.

"Get your fat greasy paws off of my controller." She growled through grit teeth.

"Is that anyway to talk to your boyfriend?" He snapped, feeling wounded.

"You're not my boyfriend!" She snarled viciously, mere inches from him.

He glared at her and threw the controller into his room. She ran after it cursing. Bill cracked his knuckles as he stalked closer. If this is how it is going to be then so be it. He blocked her path, sizing her up. She glared at him, waiting for him to move.

"Give it to me, Emily." He demanded as he held out his hand.

"Pfft, as if." She growled as she shoved past him.

He grabbed a fistful of her hair and pushed her to the floor with ease. She screamed as she thrashed around, trying to pry his iron grip loose. "Let me go! Bill!" She yelled fearfully.

"You left me no choice, darling." He snapped as he picked her up by her hair, eliciting cries of pain from her. She frantically clawed at his arm as he dragged her to a part of the house she didn't recognize. "Somebody help me!" Emily screamed as she dug her nails into his forearm, his flesh tearing under them. He slapped her hard, blood poured in her mouth.

Bill dropped her, watching her land in a heap. He grabbed a roll of tape and got to work binding her arms together behind her back, ignoring her weak cries for help. She kicked out at him, landing a couple of weak blows to his thighs. He slung her over his shoulder and carried her to his bed where he flung her down.

He picked up his discarded boxers from earlier and tied them around her mouth as a makeshift gag. She tried to get off the bed to run away, but he stopped her and shoved her back down. She stared up at him in terror, watching him inspect his bloodied arm, bits of flesh poked up. Bill roughly rubbed his blood all over her face.

Emily sobbed as fear paralyzed her body. He grabbed a pair of scissors. She stiffened when she felt the cool metal against her thigh. Bill cut her clothes off, leaving her sitting on a pile of scraps. She shivered from the sudden exposure. Emily started kicking at him again. He pulled out a gun and pointed it at her making her blood run cold.

"That's right Emily, your life is in my hands. You're mine." He said coldly, a cruel smile etched on his face.

Emily tried to gather a fraction of the courage of the protagonists she looked up to. She wasn't like them, she was just some lame unemployed teen that made nothing but bad decisions. She shook her head, thoughts like that would get her killed. Determination filled her as she eyed the gun. Maybe there was a way she could distract him? Acting would probably be out of the question now. Emily glared daggers at him as she scooted off the bed, getting to her feet, testing him.

"Get back on the bed." He commanded as he held the gun tighter.

Emily did as she was told. Tears streamed down her face as she stared up at him, noting he was still naked and now she was too. He slowly approached her, gun in hand. Bill wiped away her tears with his thumb. "Shhh, it's okay, Emily." He said in a soothing voice as he untied the gag.

"What are you going to do to me?" She sobbed, her efforts to free herself fruitless.

"I'm going to take care of you my love." He said as he pressed her cheek to his hairy gut and stroked her other cheek with his thumb.

"W-what do you mean by that?" She croaked.

"I will take care of all of your needs." He growled as he grabbed a fistful of her hair. She whimpered at the implications, wishing she never left home.

"Why are you doing this?" Emily asked, her voice cracking.

"Because my dear sweet, Emily, this is what's best for us. We'll have the perfect family, with a house on the lake." He said with a distanced look.

"Y-you mean dogs right?" Emily asked, hoping she could maybe reason her way out of this.

"Yes those too." He said dreamily.

"Bill, we don't have to do this, let me go. I won't tell anyone and we can go our separate ways." Emily said nervously as she fidgeted.

"I can't let you go, Emily, I love you! Don't you see?! I can give you everything and you could give me everything. You'll grow to love me as I love you." He said in desperation as he grabbed her shoulders. "I need you, Emily." Bill whispered as he knelled between her legs.

"Please not like this. Not like this." Emily cried as she tried to scooted backwards.

"Shhhh, baby. Everything will be alright." He whispered as he held her face lovingly in his hands.

"Please, Bill. Please! No no nooo!" She cried helplessly in his grasp.

"I love you, I can't wait to make you, Emily Dauterive." He said huskily as he pressed himself to her. Emily recoiled with a whimper.

Bill dug around in the nightstand as Emily was crushed between him and the headboard. He pulled out a pair of handcuffs, causing Emily to become hysteric. He roughly shoved her down on her face and cuffed her wrists after removing the tape.

She screamed into the mattress as she felt him slip a dry, rough finger inside her. Emily shook as he inserted another finger, she tried to crawl away only for him to hold her firmly in place. She thrashed around, trying to get away from the offending appendages. He pulled out his slick fingers and flipped her over. Bill positioned himself between her legs and laid on top of her. He kissed her lips, sticking his tongue deep into her mouth, exploring her oral cavity as she gagged. She was highly away of the warm member poking her entrance as she fought against her gag reflex.

He bit her neck as he slid into her core, eliciting a groan from her. She squeezed her eyes shut from the pain, grunted as he gently thrust in and out of her. "C-could you put on a condom?" She managed to say between sobs. "It's too late for that, Emily." He moaned in her ear.

"Pl-please !" She whined helplessly.

"We are one, Emily. We don't need one." He growled as he thrust faster.

"I don't want to get pregnant!" She screamed as she tried to head-butt him.

Bill stopped thrusting and gave her an annoyed look, "You're on birth control."

"It's not effective yet!" She cried, hoping he would stop.

He smashed his lips to hers and crashed his hips against hers. Emily clamped her jaws shut and cursed her body for betraying her. It shouldn't feel good. His touch sickened her. She couldn't ignore what was happening, hyper aware of every inch of him.

Bill collapsed onto her in a sweaty, panting heap. Emily cried quietly into his damp shoulder as she felt the aftermath oozing out. He slowly pulled out and laid flush to her. Her quiet cries pulled at his heart strings, "Shhh, shhh, it's okay." He kissed her cheek lovingly as he held her tightly to his chest. Bill stroked her matted hair as he tried to soothe her.

"Why?" She cried.

"I had to have you." He whispered into her ear as he gently rocked her, making her even more nauseous.

"What about STDs?" She cried hoarsely.

"You don't have to worry about any of that, my love." He murmured in her ear as brushed away a few strands from her face.

"I won't tell anyone, please let me go." She begged as she tried to pull away from his embrace.

"I thought you loved me, Emily." He said with a wince.

"Not after this, you're not even worth the oxygen you steal." She snarled quietly. He slapped her hard, making her sob bitterly.

"That was hurtful, Emily. That's no way to treat your fiancé after making love." He snapped bitterly.

"You...you...raped me." Emily choked out.

Bill stiffened as he propped himself up on his elbow, "No, we made love. You were soaking wet, you wanted it too."

She sobbed as she laid there helplessly. He huffed and set to work binding her legs together, not bothering to clean her up. Bill took a strip of what used to be her shirt and gagged her with it. Emily stared up at him weakly with wet, bloodshot eyes. He gave her a slobbery kiss on the cheek before leaving her alone in the room. She stared at his retreating form, wondering what he was going to do with her.

He was elated he finally got to make love to his beloved. He sat down and got to work searching for a secluded place to purchase. Bill was glad he hadn't reenlisted. Soon it would be just him and Emily with no pesky neighbors to intervene. In no time he found the perfect place in Montana within his price range. It was nine miles from any neighbors and around twenty miles from the nearest town. Everything was falling into place. He sent an email before getting back to his beloved.

Emily fell off the bed, landing in a painful heap, startling Bill. He gently picked her up and sat her back on the bed, crawling up beside her. He murmured soothing sweet nothings in her ear as she stroked her queasy belly. She fell asleep from exhaustion after a short while. Bill nuzzled the back of her neck lovingly, taking in her intoxication scent. He finally had a woman of his own.


	11. Chapter 11

Emily's eyes fluttered open. She began to hyperventilate as she thrashed around the bed, trying in vain to slip out of the bonds. Bill walked in with a sour look on his face, his mood souring further as he saw her struggling. He placed a threatening hand on her bare shoulder, stilling her movements instantly. The bed sagged as he sat next to her. Emily stared up at him with wet fearful eyes.

Bill sighed as he trailed his fingers down her side in thought. "Oh, Emily my lovely bride to be." He crooned as he laid beside her. Emily nearly choked when he referred to her as his bride. "What?" She croaked, hoping she heard wrong.

He nestled his face between her breasts, "I got us a place in Montana. There's a lake there too, just how you wanted it. It will be just you and me my lovely bride."

"Please just let me go!" Emily cried as she thrashed around.

Bill crushed her to his chest and held her firmly in place, glaring daggers at her. Emily sobbed hysterically as she struggled futilely to free herself. He tried to kiss her only to be headbutted. "Emily! You're acting like a child! Get ahold of yourself!" Bill snapped. Emily shivered and stared wide eyed at him in terror. His eyes softened, pangs of guilt made his heart clench as he didn't mean to frighten her so bad. Bill stroked her rough matted hair to soothe her, making a note mental note to brush and trim it later.

"Why?" She asked timidly, diverting her eyes.

He nuzzled her cheek, "Why what Emily dear?"

"You know…why?" She sobbed tilting her head away.

"The love we made?" Bill asked cautiously as he caressed her cheek.

Emily turned her head and suppressed a gag. "Y-You know that's not what it was!" She snapped, tears streaming down her face.

"What are you saying, Emily? You were practically begging me to take you, and I admit I was pretty eager." He said with flushed cheeks.

Emily stared at him in disbelief. "You're a goddamn liar!" She snarled in rage as she violently thrashed around in another attempt to wrench herself out of his grasp. Bill grit his teeth as he struggled to keep ahold of her. A few minutes passed when she stilled, panting heavily from the exertion. "HELP!" She let out a blood curdling screaming in hopes someone would hear and rescue her.

She inhaled sharply for another scream when she felt Bill's large hands around her throat squeezing it shut. Emily stared at him, petrified into submission. He slowly released her neck and watched as she gasped. "What is wrong with you!" He demanded, forcing her to look at him.

"What's wrong with me?! You stole all of my firsts, wouldn't take no for an answer and and...raped me." She shouted hysterically.

Bill clenched his jaw as he considered her for a moment. "I didn't steal anything from you. I'm proud to be you first and only. For the last time we made love, I don't want to hear that word out of your mouth again." He said softly.

"What, rape? It's because you know what you did, no matter how you try to dress it up." Emily said quietly, an edge to her voice.

"You'll eventually grow to love me and return my feelings." He said dejectedly, pressing his forehead to hers.

"Like hell I will. You're the monster my parents warned me about. I was too stupid to listen to them." Emily said morosely.

"Your parents are real pieces of work!" Bill growled, thinking back to when he had the misfortune of meeting them. "They're not coming to our wedding."

"What wedding? What the hell are you planning to do to me?" Emily asked timidly, trying to fight off panic.

"Make you my lovely wifely." He said tenderly before pressing his lips to her unwilling ones. "And the mother of my children." Bill whispered softly over her lips, his brushing against hers.

"Why are you doing this?" Emily asked in a panicked whisper.

"I'm in love with you silly." He smiled softly and nuzzled her cheek again.

"I'm not in love with you." She said, her voice laced in fear.

"You will be eventually." He whispered as he stroked her hair, pressing his forehead to hers again.

"Why are you doing this? What did I ever do to you?" Emily desperately asked.

"You've captured my heart, my sweet bride." He said dreamily as he held her closer.

"Stop calling me that. I won't actually marry you." Emily whispered timidly.

"Oh, but you will my love. You don't get a choice. You will say I do." Bill said sternly as he forcefully cupped her cheek.

"I-I don't want to!" She wailed helplessly.

"Why wouldn't you?" Bill asked, hurt.

"You're a monster." She whispered timidly and sniffled.

"I'm not a monster. I saved you from one. Remember the bar? What do you think he was going to you?" Bill growled.

"The same things you did to me." Emily croaked.

Bill scoffed, "You would have been in a ditch somewhere. I'm going to take care of you, protect you, give you everything you need." Emily closed her eyes, sobs racking her body. "Shh don't cry…please don't cry. You should be happy, you're getting married in a few days!"

"Happy?" Emily asked disorientated.

"Mhm, I'm going to get another taste of the frosting." He whispered huskily as he cupped her bottom. Emily let out a whine as she shook her head, desperately hoping he would stop. "Please no!" She cried.

"Shh…shhh." He shushed her, caressing her cheek tenderly.

"Not again please!" Emily pleaded, wincing when he squeezed her breast.

"Make love to me." He whined as he poked her thigh with his erection.

Finding her voice momentarily, Emily said, "No."

"Emily." He said sharply as he brandished the gun from his waistband. She bit her lip and cowered, wishing she was brave enough to attempt to disarm him. He undid her bonds, watching her warily. Unsure of what to do she placed a trembling hand on his cheek, hesitating on kissing him. Maybe if she somewhat played along with his fantasy she would survive the next few days to escape or get help.

Warm tears streamed over the sides of her temples as she pressed her quivering lips to his. They were warm, soft and disgustingly attacking hers hungrily. He roughly grabbed a fistful of her hair and shoved his tongue into her mouth. She spluttered and flailed, trying in vain to pull away. He held her in place and continued to assault her, positioning himself between her legs.

He pulled back breathlessly, "You love me, right?" He panted, searching her face. Emily nodded her head, fearing her voice would betray her even more than her twisted features. Bill smiled in relief and kissed away the tears, trailing kisses down her neck. His hand snaked down to her groin, finding her entrance, frowning with its lack of wetness. Bill sucked one of her hardened nipples and stroked her until her body began to cooperate against her will. He smiled toothily and he licked his wet fingers, savoring the taste. Emily stared at him with a mix of unabashed disgust and horror. "You taste so good." He purred huskily, squeezing her hips.

"I need you." He moaned as he slid into her. Emily hissed in discomfort from the penetration, sick that her body was responding just how he wanted it to. "Oh, Emily you feel so good." He growled as he thrusted a few times before stopping.

"I-Is something wrong?" She asked, her voice rising in fear that it was about her Mirena.

"Something is poking me." He said with a mix of concern and annoyance.

"That is m-my Mirena. It has strings that are supposed to be there." Emily said timidly.

"So, your Miranda is in your precious womb?" He asked in concern. She would have rolled eyes at his remark about her uterus if she wasn't so scared. "Yeah…" Emily whispered, afraid of where this was going.

"It won't hurt it or make you infertile?" He asked caressing her lower belly.

"I'll be infertile for the next five years. That's kind of the idea." Emily said, her voice cracking.

"Why would you keep such a precious gift from your husband-to-be?" Bill asked, thrusting slowly.

"Fertility isn't a gift it's a biological curse." Emily croaked.

He picked up the pace and smashed his lips to hers. Emily repressed a gag and tried to keep up. He put her legs over his shoulders and pounded into her until he collapsed over her and climaxed. Bill caressed her cheek and rested his head on her chest, panting. Emily stared up at the ceiling, silently suffering from the pain of being violated a second time. She could feel the slick of sweet between their bodies and the uncomfortable wetness in her groin. Bill kissed her lips softly and brushed her damp bangs off her forehead.

"You don't have to be so quiet." He said dreamily. He noticed the pain in her eyes. "Are you alright, Emily?" He asked, his forehead creased in worry.

"It hurts." She croaked, wincing when he pulled out. Disgust and shame washed over her as his semen oozed out.

Bill gave her an apologetic look before cleaning off with a pair of boxers. He noticed a decent amount of blood on himself and looked over to see some crusted on her inner most thighs along with fresh blood mixed with his seed. He gently cleaned away most of the fluids, leaving damp orangey-red smears on her inner thighs. Bill tossed the soiled underwear onto the floor and laid next Emily. Sure, he took her virginity, but was there supposed to be this much blood? Maybe it was that damned Miranda thing she has? He crawled next to her and pulled her into his arms. Emily laid still, drenched in his sweat.

"I love you, Emily." Bill said, nuzzling the back of her head. She stared at the wall helplessly, trying to ignore the throbbing pain. "Soon I'll turns those butterflies in your tummy into little feet." He said dreamily as he rubbed her abdomen. Emily froze at those words and swallowed the rising bile, hoping her IUD was effective. "I'm going to take out that Miranda thing so we can get our family started soon!" He said as he snatched up the handcuffs off the nightstand.

"No! You can't!" Emily howled as she sprung to life and thrashed around trying to break free. He quickly pinned and cuffed her to a small bar he attached to the headboard while she was asleep. Her arms were pulled over her head, the metal cuffs biting into her wrists. "Bill! Please! Think about this! You can't just pull it out!" She shrieked as she pulled at her restraints and kicked at him. He pulled out a small rope from the closet and tied one of her legs to the bedpost and sat on the other. "NO!" She screamed, squirming around. "PLEASE! Wait a second! Let's talk about this! Why don't we spend a little time just us before we worry about any of this?" Emily pleaded desperately, hoping that would buy her some time.

"Hold still!" He commanded giving her a pointed look, ignoring her plea. She stilled at the sight of the gun and whimpered. Bill gently inserted a finger into her vagina that was slick with his seed and her blood, he found the offending strings and gently pulled, with a little more force it slipped out, eliciting a loud pained cry from Emily that followed with violent sobs. He stared at the small T shaped plastic device and glared at it before throwing it across the room. Emily stared in horror at all the blood and her birth control laying on the floor. Pain clouded her vision. She didn't bother to reign in her cries as she sat there in hysterics. Bill caressed her cheek, leaving a smear of blood, she jerked her head away, leaning as far away from him as possible.

He pulled her into his lap and held her tightly to his chest, burying his face in the crook of her neck. "Shh…it's okay…you're okay." Bill murmured in a soothing voice. Emily shrunk away and fixated her eyes on the IUD. "Soon your belly will swell with our child." He whispered dreamily. Emily began to hyperventilate, on the verge of vomiting. He stroked her upper arm to soothe her, hoping she would calm down soon. Bill kissed her temple tenderly and placed a warm bloodied hand atop hers. "I love you." He whispered lovingly, rocking her. The movement made her stomach churn.

"I think I need to go to the hospital…" Emily said, disorientated.

"The bleeding should stop soon. You just need some rest." Bill said, trying to reassure her, certain she was just a little traumatized.

"It hurts." She whined again, tiredly leaning back into his chest, hoping he would have enough sense to get her medical help.

"I know…I know…It will be worth it though when you see the positive test." He whispered romantically. She sobbed helplessly. His attempts at affection made her sick to her stomach. The thought of his parasite growing in her was terrifying. "Please, Bill. I won't tell anyone. Drop me off at a hospital. Please." She cried, her struggles becoming more staggered as her head spun.

"Emily, you're going to be okay. I'm here." He whispered softly. "We're going to be the perfect family. I can't wait to make you my wife. We have a big day tomorrow so you need to rest. I'll wash us off in the morning." He said as he pulled the comforter over them, making sure her legs were covered. Bill decided to leave her bound to be safe. Emily fought her drooping lids, losing the battle. He kissed her cheek and leaned back against the headboard, tired himself. Her face appeared a bit pale, concerning him a little. He watched her chest rise and fall with deep even breaths, his worry melted away, with a few days she should feel less faint, he hoped. "Sleep well angel." He murmured, finally relaxing enough to doze off.


	12. Chapter 12

Bill dipped a rag into a bowl of warm water and got to work gently washing off the crusted blood on Emily's thighs. She groaned and looked around bleary eyed. He gave her a warm smile as he dunked the rag back into the water, staining it a rusty orange. Emily stared vacantly at the ceiling, letting him bathe her. He tenderly wiped her cheek clean before kissing her forehead. "Good morning, my love." He said softly, drying her off with a rough towel. Emily groaned in response. "How are you feeling?" He asked, his forehead creased in concern. Emily ignored him. He frowned and gave her a sympathetic look before carrying the bowl and rags out of the room.

She sighed, tears leaked out of her eyes and stained her cheeks. Everything hurt, especially her internal parts. Emily never felt so used. It felt like he sucked the life of her, leaving a hollow husk behind. Who would believe her? She thought it was her own fault for leaving so hastily and accepting some shady ad online. Of course, it was too good to be true and that's why she was in this predicament. Who would want her after this? Would anyone believe her?

He returned in a cheerful mood, a large stupid grin plastered on his face. Emily's stomach dropped, dread filled every fiber of her being. Bill leaned over her and kissed her slack lips, his tongue darted in and out of her mouth. She repressed a gag, letting him have his way, afraid to anger him. He caressed her throat with his thumb before squeezing a little and laid atop her. Bill frowned when he felt her tense beneath him. She gasped when he suddenly nipped her nipple. A breathy moan escaped his lips as his manhood brushed against her inner thigh. He sucked on her neck while massaging her breast. Bill let out a throaty growl as he gently thrust in her. Emily whimpered and squeezed her eyes shut. He wrapped his arms around her and crashed his hips to hers passionately. She grunted and cried in pain. Bill stopped and gave her a concerned look, "Are you alright, Emily?" She stared at him with tear filled eyes. He thrust more gently, "Is this better, baby?" he asked breathlessly. Emily whined, too afraid to answer him. He dug his nails into her shoulder and side as he kissed her ardently. Bill moaned loudly as he climaxed and collapsed on top of her in a sweaty heavily panting heap.

Emily wailed bitterly when he finally pulled out and rolled off her. He stared at her in confusion momentarily before pulling her into his arms and kissing the side of her head. "Shh…shh. Don't cry." He whispered, trying to soothe her. She weakly pulled at her bonds, sobbing unconsolably. Bill stroked her hair and sighed heavily. He looked at her guiltily before taking the corner of the sheet and gently cleaned her up. "Why are you crying?" He asked, frustrated.

"You…you…know why…" She whimpered weakly.

Bill gave her a sympathetic look and caressed her cheek. "I made love to you." He sighed dejectedly and brandished the gun, silencing Emily instantly. She let out a shaky breath, eyes glued to the gun he was pointing at her. "I made love to you…" He quietly said again, placing a warm palm to her wet cheek. "I love you, you understand that, right?" He asked in fear. Emily stared at him despondently. "Do you love me?" He asked desperately, clutching her face in his hands. Her eyes darted between him and the gun beside lying beside him. "I won't hurt you, Emily… Don't be afraid darlin'. Please answer me. Do you love me?" Bill said, waiting impatiently for her answer. "No." Emily croaked, instantly regretting telling the truth. He blinked away tears and let go of her face. His expression a mix of hurt and anger. He uncuffed her. Emily stared at him in horror as he untied her leg. She was frozen in fear, letting him sit her up. They stared at each other for a few tense moments. His gaze softened, "You don't have to be alone anymore. You could make me whole. I could fill that emptiness inside of you. Let me love you." He pleaded, holding her hands tightly in his.

"I could…" She whispered in defeat, eyeing the gun.

"Could what?" He asked, his voice unsteady.

"Love you." She lied.

He kissed her quivering lips tenderly. Emily pulled away cautiously, unsure of what to do, of how to react. Numerous bad escape plans swirling around in her head. Bill caressed her cheek and then handed her a maroon long sleeved dress. She stared at in uncertainly for a moment before putting it on quickly. He gave her an approving gaze and pulled her close. "You're so beautiful, Emily." He whispered breathlessly. She took a few deep breaths in a vain attempt to calm herself. Bill pulled away and picked up her hairbrush off his dresser. Emily stared at the other items that went missing over the past few weeks. He gently got to work brushing out her tangled hair. His gentleness surprised her, but it was no comfort. Bill hummed softly, putting her further on edge.

"Why do you have my stuff?" Emily asked. Bill blushed, "I wanted, needed, to be closer to you. That stuff was the closest thing to smelling you, tasting you, touching you…" He said, placing his shaking hands on her shoulders and burying his face into her hair. She bit back bile and clutched fistfuls of the edge of the mattress. "I know you're lonely like I am... Don't you want love? A family? Someone to take care of you?" He whispered desperately. Emily bit her lip, and shut her eyes tightly. Bill wrapped his arms around her waist and stroked her belly softly. "Yes." Emily whispered tearfully, she did want a family, one that consisted of a boyfriend, dogs and all the friends she met along the way.

Bill got up and shuffled stuff around in the nightstand until he pulled out a small black velvet box. She timidly reached for the unattended gun only to have both of her hands suddenly engulfed in his. Emily nearly jumped out of her skin, noting the look of warning on his face. She turned her attention to the small box that sat beside her. Bill let go of her hands and got down on one knee, opening the box to reveal a golden ring with a small diamond. "Emily, will you marry me?" He asked softly, giving her an expectant look. Emily stared at him, wanting to be anywhere but there. "Emily?" He said worriedly, afraid she wasn't even going to answer.

Emily wanted to say no, but thought against it as he seemed prone to violent outbursts when he didn't get his way. "Yes…" She sighed, holding back tears, cursing herself for not grabbing the gun sooner. Bill sighed in relief and gently slid the ring onto her finger. He smashed his lips to hers and pulled her down onto the bed with him. Emily closed her eyes, not responding to his affections. Noticing her slack lips, Bill pulled away and cupped her cheek, "You've made me the happiest man alive." He said lovingly, hoping she would cheer up, after all he had just proposed. She stared at the wall, drowning in hopelessness. The ring felt heavy and foreign on her finger. Sure, it was conventionally pretty, but it lost all beauty with the meaning behind it. Emily wanted to take it off and throw it back in his face. She hated herself even more for just lying there and doing nothing, too afraid to try anything, tears leaked down her face. He wiped away her tears and wrapped a possessive arm around her waist.

"We won't be able to get the place in Montana, but I did find one east of here." He said, stroking her stomach, making it churn.

"Where?" She croaked, hoping she could send for help somehow.

"Don't worry about that now, love." He whispered, not wanting to tell her the exact place, she didn't need to know, he would take care of her.

"Just tell me, please." She begged, gripping his forearm.

"It doesn't matter, I'm gonna make sure our family is well taken care of." He whispered in her ear, frowning when she recoiled from him. Bill pulled her closer to himself and kissed the back of her head. He saw the time and begrudgingly got up. "We're going to get our marriage certificate today." He said cheerily as he put on a pair of jeans that were on the floor. Noticing Emily reaching for the gun he snatched it up and stuffed it into his waistband. "Be careful with that, you have no business playing with it." He said with an edge to his voice. Emily cursed under her breath. She played tons of shooters, why the hell was she so afraid to pick up a real one she wondered.

Bill put on a loose black shirt and grabbed Emily's hand. He led her to the front door. "Don't try to run or get anyone's attention, you'll make me have to hurt them." He warned. Emily stiffly nodded her head. "Good." He said warmly, leading her to the car with a grin. He opened the door for her, watching her reluctantly get in. Bill quickly got in and started the car, locking the doors. To her horror, Emily noticed there wasn't a door handle on the passenger side. "Don't forget your seat belt, dear." He said as he backed out of the driveway. Emily complied, laying her head against the window, watching the scenery pass by.

He placed a warm hand over hers, she tried to pull her hand away only for him to tighten his grip. She sighed and gave up. "I love you." He said romantically. Emily ignored him, digging her nails into her thigh. "Emily?" He said her name worriedly, glancing at her. "What?" She snapped, glaring at him. Bill sighed "You'll warm up to me once you give me a chance." He said as he drew circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. She didn't answer him, which stung a bit more than he expected.

They rode in silence the rest of the way. Bill withdrew his hand and parked. Emily's heart beat wildly as she thought about just shouting for help. "Remember, if you try anything you'll give me no choice but to hurt these nice people and actually try to look happy that you're marrying me." He said, not bothering to hide his hurt. Emily nodded, screaming inside.

He let her out of the car and led her inside. Bill exchange pleasantries with the receptionist and then dragged Emily behind him down a hallway and into another room. She kept her head low and avoided eye contact with the few people there. She sat when he prompted her to.

"Congrats!" A woman said, startling Emily who finally looked up.

"Thank you!" Bill said happily, giving Emily's hand a squeeze, prompting her to mumble some thanks.

The woman gave Emily a strange look, but proceeded none the less. Bill did all the talking and filled out most of the paperwork. Emily filled out the few blanks she was required to and then signed her name. She really wanted to write 'HELP' but knew the innocent woman whose nametag read Reba would probably get shot.

"What's the matter, dear?" The woman asked, startling both Emily and Bill.

"Her hamster died yesterday." Bill said quickly, feigning sadness as he pat Emily's back.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Reba said, awkwardly placing papers into Bill's hand.

"Thank you, she'll alright." Bill said with a dismissive wave. Emily got up and shuffled behind Bill to the car. He opened the door for her and shut it behind her. Bill immediately locked the doors as soon as he got in.

He turned to her and gave her an annoyed look, "Aren't you happy?" He asked in a snappy tone. Emily barely shrugged and stared at her lap. "Emily, I thought you wanted this too." He said, holding her limp hands, searching her face. She stared at him, silent tears streaming down her face, whatever she wanted this sure wasn't it. He squeezed her hands before letting go and starting the car. "It won't be so bad, Emily, I only want to love you, sweetheart." He said, trying to reassure her.

"You only love the idea of me." She croaked after a few minutes of tense silence.

"Emily! I love you for you. Don't say things like that." He snapped.

She rolled her eyes. "Can you get me a plan b pill while we're out?" She asked a moment later.

"What do you want that for?" He asked, gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.

"So, I won't…get pregnant…obviously." She said barely above a whisper, noticing his change in demeanor.

"You don't want to be pregnant with my child?" He asked through clenched jaws a moment later.

"I don't ever want to be pregnant!" Emily cried digging her nails into her knees.

"Grow up already, Emily! I want you to have my baby!" Bill snapped, tears threatening to fall.

"That is grown up…there's already enough suffering…why create more?" Emily whispered, staring at the familiar scenery.

"Suffering? Emily, no…no. Our children will be healthy and happy. You're going to be a wonderful mother and I'll be the father I never had." He said softly, placing his hand atop hers.

She snatched her hand away. "You don't fucking get it, do you?!" Emily snapped.

Bill grit his teeth, he parked and glared at her. He took a few deep breaths and leaned back in the seat. "Emily, trust me, every woman wants children." He said, holding her hand in an iron grip. She stared at him flabbergasted. He believed that?

Bill looked around and saw his friends standing in the alley. He turned to Emily and said, "Don't try anything and stop moping!" She watched him stuff the papers into the sun visor before climbing out of the car. Emily wished she could lock the door so he couldn't get to her. He opened the door and helped her out. She grit her teeth and looked around nervously; surely he wouldn't shoot his friends? Bill laced his fingers with hers and led them over to his friends. Emily wanted to do or say something to alert them about her situation, nothing came to mind without someone getting hurt. She studied their reactions which were ones of confusion.

"Hey guys!" Bill greeted them excitedly.

"Hey, Emily, how's the job hunting going?" Hank asked.

"It's been put on hold indefinitely, we're getting married!" Bill said excitedly, cutting Emily off before she could get a word out. She stared at the ground, and tried to distance herself from Bill. His friends were speechless. Emily looked up and gave them a pleading look, hoping one of them would realize something was wrong.

"Damn Bill, you robbed the cradle!" Dale shouted as he pulled another cigarette out of the carton.

"Aren't you guys uh rushing it a bit?" Hank asked.

"Hank, we're in love!" Bill said and pulled Emily into an awkward kiss, she spluttered and tried to pull away. She didn't even try to hold back the tears anymore and hoped that gave them an idea that she was certainly not in love with that monster and was being held captive. He squeezed her hand so tightly a soft cry of pain escaped her lips. "She's really shy as you guys probably know." Bill said trying to make a smooth recovery.

"Uh, yeah…" Hank said awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck.

"Anyway, we wanted to invite you to our wedding Friday!" Bill said excitedly.

"That's a bit short notice, Bill." Hank sighed.

"Oh, it's only three days away!" Bill said, emphasizing with his hands.

"Dang ol' shotgun wedding man." Boomhaur said.

"It is not a shotgun wedding! We are very much in love and trying for a family!" Bill snapped, holding Emily close. She started silently mouthing 'HELP ME'. He whisked her into his arms and turned to cross the street.

"Hey, Bill, I think your child bride is trying to ask for elk meat!" Dale shouted after them. Emily almost broke her neck trying to look back at the idiot who shouted that. Fucking elk meat!? Maybe there would be another opportunity to get rescued in a few days since the only weddings she knew about were crowded and chaotic.

Bill slammed open the front door and kicked it shut behind them. He dropped Emily onto the bed unceremoniously and immediately cuffed her. He stared at her hard before sitting beside her. "What was that?" He demanded, crossing his arms.

"What was what?" Emily croaked, barely able to hear over her own heart.

"Were you saying help me?" He snarled.

"N-no. I just wanted some elk jerky, I haven't eaten today." She lied, curling her toes, hoping he would buy it.

He raised a skeptical brow before melting and planting a kiss to her cheek. Bill grabbed a pack of crackers from the nightstand. He held one to her lips, waiting for her to take it. She reluctantly takes the cracker and to her dismay it was peanut butter. He smiled and gave her another one. This continued until the last one, where he held it with his teeth and presented it her. Emily stared at it and hesitantly takes it. He kisses her nose affectionately and holds a glass of water to her lips. She greedily sucks down the water, spilling it all over herself in the process. "Awww." Bill gushed as he dabbed away the water from her chin and chest. He sighed and laid beside her.

"You know it kinda hurts they think it's a shotgun wedding. Just because I'm a little older doesn't mean anything. We love each other and that's all that matters." Bill said, wrapping his arms around her.

"Really? It seems like I'm only a brood mare to you." She said quietly.

"What? You're so much more than that! Just because we're trying to get pregnant doesn't make you a brood mare. Our children will be products of our love." He said lovingly, caressing her belly. "I know this hasn't been easy for you, but know this, you don't need the plan b pill, it'll all be worth it. I love you, Emily." He whispered into the crook of her neck. It was no use arguing or begging him, and his friends were too stupid to put two and two together, she cried herself to sleep. Bill held her tightly as she slept, planning the small wedding, and the move shortly after. He couldn't wait for Friday.


	13. Chapter 13

Emily stared miserably at the sea of bubbles she sat in. It was the day of their supposed wedding and Bill seemed to be having the time of his life 'prepping' her for the ceremony. He lathered up a sweet-smelling soap and gently scrubbed her back. She closed her eyes and sighed, it had been a few days since she last showered. Bill lingered on her breasts while softly humming to himself. The cuffs clattered when she gave a soft pull, startling Bill, who then planted a kiss on her cheek. He gently massaged her soapy scalp in an attempt to relax her. Emily wiggled her toes in the bubbles, sighing in frustration. Bill grinned "Aww." He gushed. She looked down and avoided eye contact. He rinsed and conditioned her hair. The razor in his hand made her uneasy. He took his time applying the shaving cream to her legs. Emily watched him like a hawk as he slowly shaved her leg. He went all the way up her thigh. He finished both legs in no time and finished with her armpits.

"Oh, you're so cute my lovely bride." He chirped as he pulled the plug. Bill re-cuffed her stiff arms in front of her and dried her off carefully. He sat her down on a small chair and pulled out all the hair implements he needed. Emily wondered if she was even brave enough to make an escape attempt. Who would listen to her? Where would she go? How would she leave without him noticing? Could she walk out right now? She stood only to be pushed back down into the chair. The last few days he literally never left her side. Emily was glad when the blow dryer drowned out his voice. The wedding would probably be her only chance to escape. She held back her tears and glared at the reflection in the mirror. "This will not be my life!" She silently promised herself.

He set down the hair dryer and pulled out a prescription bottle from the medicine cabinet. Bill quickly opened the bottle and dumped out the dosage he wanted, holding his hand close to her face. Emily eyed the peach colored pill in his open palm. "I'm not taking that." She said nervously. He gave her a look and held his palm to her lips. She kept her mouth firmly shut and stared back at him with defiant eyes. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way." He said impatiently. She glared back at him. Bill sighed and pinched her nipple hard eliciting a shriek of pain from her, he quickly shoved the pill into her open mouth. Emily tried to spit out the bitter pill, but he clamped his hand over her mouth. "Would you like some water?" He asked in a snappy tone. She nodded her head, planning on spitting it out when he removed his hand. "Don't spit it out!" He warned before slowly moving his hand. Emily reluctantly swallowed the pill and raised her hands to the glass of water still in his hand, he ignored her hands and held it to her lips. She gulped it down greedily, washing down the bitter taste, spilling some on her chin and chest. Bill gently patted her chin dry. "It will help you feel better." He said softly. "But what was it?" She asked desperately. "Don't worry about it." He replied coolly. "What does it do?" Emily asked nervously, wringing her hands. "It will calm your nerves some." He said arranging what he needed on the counter. She hated that she was so scared of him that taking it seemed like the only option. She wished she had spat it out, even if it meant more pain. Who knows what calming her nerves really meant. Emily worried about how the pill would affect her and to what extent. Would it zombify her? Whatever it would do she needed to act fast.

Bill carefully curled each section of hair. Once he was finished, he set it with a light holding spray, making Emily cough. He gently tussled her hair and planted a kiss on her cheek. She eyed the hot curling wand as Bill fussed with some makeup products. Emily snatched it off the counter and swung it at his face. He caught it with his hand, yelling in pain, he yanked it out of her hands and threw it on the floor. Before she could even lift the chair to beat him with it the barrel of the gun was pushed to the back of her head. She froze on the spot and slowly turned her head to see his furious expression. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she stood up straight, unsure if he was going to end her right then and there.

"Sit down, Emily." He said sternly. She did as told, sobbing bitterly. "What're you cryin' for?!" He demanded. Emily took a shaky breath and tentatively reached for his burned hand, keeping steady eye contact, hoping if she did what he'd probably want after something like this he would spare her. He slapped her hand away with the gun, glaring daggers. "Please!" She begged, clenching her trembling hands. Bill set the gun down out of her reach, grabbed a first-aid kit and pulled out some bandages. He struggled for a moment before Emily softly placed a shaking hand on his non-burned one, startling him. She sniffled and gently took the bandages and wrapped them around his hand carefully. Seemingly calming him. He cupped her cheek and looked at her with a hurt expression. "What did you do that for?" He asked, his voice rough. She didn't answer. "I know it's probably not the wedding of your dreams, darlin', but it's still our wedding day. I promise you'll be happy." He said softly, pulling her into a kiss.

Emily pulled away, glaring at him in disgust. "I don't want to be your wife or stupid incubator!" "Incubator?" He rolled his eyes, trying to hide his hurt expression. Bill applied a moisturizer to her face, constantly drying her eyes with a tissue. He sighed in frustration, "C'mon Emily, stop crying, I can't put on your makeup if you're just going to cry it all off." She glared at him and blinked away the last of her tears. Emily shook in rage as she sat there helplessly, admonishing herself for failing. He gently patted her eyes dry and got back to work with applying her base makeup. Bill brushed a soft golden eye shadow onto her eyes lids. She flinched when he brought an eyeliner pencil to her eye. He waited patiently for her to close her eyes before continuing. A few coats of mascara later he dusted a pale blush onto her cheeks and swiped a thread of ruby lipstick over her dry lips. Emily stared in the mirror, impressed with her look. Bill stared at her breathlessly and then gently tilted her face to him, setting her makeup with powder.

He gave her one last look over and then prompted her to stand. Emily reluctantly obeyed and followed him to his room. He pulled a white dress out of the closet along with a set of white lingerie. It was all too much, she frowned and sighed deeply. This won't be her fate! The sooner she was ready, the sooner she could try to escape. She stared at the lacey white underwear and then her cuffed hands. Bill smiled sheepishly and carefully took off her restraints. Emily put on the push-up bra, rolling her eyes as it exaggerated her chest and quickly put on the thong. She held up the garter belt, it was pretty much to her chagrin, and put it on. The stockings came next, she carefully slid them on one at a time. Bill watched her awkwardly attach the clips to the stockings. He handed her a pair of glittery pale gold kitten heels. She stepped into them and made a face at the look, not liking the way the stockings clashed with the heels. Emily pulled the dress off the bed and stepped into it, waiting for Bill to help. Of course, it had sleeves to cover the purple rings around her wrists; she rolled her eyes. He tightened the ribbon laces and tied a neat floppy bow at the base of her back.

Emily stared at herself in the large mirror on the wall. She hated to admit that she looked beautiful. The dress went down to her ankles and hugged her in all the right places, the neckline complimenting her cleavage. It had a delicate layer of soft intricate lace. He swept her hair to the side carefully and put on a dainty gold necklace. Emily stepped closer to the mirror to get a better look of the pendant; it was a small golden heart.

Bill gave her a once over and then pulled his dress uniform out of the closet. He put on a white button up, hissing in pain as he slowly buttoned it up. She stared at the gun that was out of reach, trying to think of something that would distract him. Just as she thought about tipping the mirror over he appeared beside her holding a pair of shirt stays. He noticed Emily's blank stare and caressed her cheek. Bill winced when he attached the shirt stays to his socks. He looked at his hand and clenched his jaw, then clipped the shirt stays to his shirt. With a frown Bill inspected his bandaged hand closer, noting some of the linen was tinged red, his heart sank.

Emily stared at him for a moment, wondering what he was going to do next. He had a pained expression when he looked at her. She was only sorry she didn't wrap the cord of the curling iron around his neck and strangled him. A tense moment passed before Bill decided to put on his jacket. He pulled away and picked up a black tie, staring at it apprehensively before looking at Emily expectantly. Tears welled up in her eyes as she took it, her resolve breaking, crumpling the thin fabric in her fist. She took a shaky breath and placed the black cloth around his neck, this was her chance she suddenly realized. With newfound strength, she suddenly pulled the tie taut around his neck, cutting his inhale short, he grabbed her wrists and tried to pull them away only to tighten it. His face turned a deep shade of red as he started to sway on his feet. Emily pulled with all the might, a murderous glint in her eyes. Bill stumbled back on to the bed and flailed around for the gun knowing he only had seconds left before losing consciousness. His hand touched the cool metal of the gun, he grabbed it immediately and pointed it at her, slowly squeezing the trigger. Emily let go and dropped to the floor, expecting to hear the gun fired, instead all she heard was Bill coughing and gasping. She cursed herself and wished she hadn't let go, even if it looked like he was pulling the trigger. Bill rubbed his neck and grit his teeth. Emily slowly got to her feet and tried to quietly back out of the room. The cocking of the gun froze her in her tracks. He wiped his damp bloodshot eyes and beckoned her closer with the gun, glaring at her. She begrudgingly trudged toward him, a mix of rage and terror welled in her chest. One look into his red eyes told her she really fucked up this time, for not finishing the job.

"That was uncalled for." He growled hoarsely. She swallowed thickly, barely able to stand. Bill thrust the tie into her hands and pressed the barrel to her ribs. Emily fumbled with the now wrinkled tie, his hot breath in her face, her side had a slight dull ache in anticipation of pain. The heat radiating off his neck made her hands tremble, he was very much alive. She finished with a small knot, and smoothed the collar of his shirt over the tie. Bill carefully put on his pants and waited for her to button them. She felt sick as she did what he wanted, hating how close she was to his groin. Emily buckled his belt and then carefully buttoned up his jacket with shaking hands. She dropped her hands to her sides and looked up into his bloodshot eyes, would this nightmare ever end?

"Please don't kill me!" Emily cried, placing her hands on his chest.

"You were going to kill me not even a few minutes ago, and you almost did…I'm not going to kill you, Emily! So, stop trying to maim or kill me, or whatever you're trying to do!" He said hotly, still holding the gun to her side.

"I don't want to kill you, I just want to go home!" Emily wailed, wrinkling his pristine jacket. "You are home, my love." He said woundedly, as he wiped the tears from her eyes, trying to preserve her makeup. Emily stared at him with pleading eyes. "As I said I won't kill you, but I will kill anyone else you try to utter your lies to." He said with a growl, placing a palm to her cheek. The warmth burned her icy flesh, she flinched away. He lifted her chin and gently pressed his lips to hers, Emily pulled away and looked at her feet. "I love you." He said barely above a whisper. Emily took a step back, tempted to make a run for it, getting shot be damned. Bill grabbed her wrist and stepped forward. The look she was giving him felt like a stab in the heart. She was utterly terrified! He blinked a few times and cleared his throat. His own bride stared back at him as if he were some monster. What was she so afraid of? Bill pulled her into his chest and held her. He stroked her long silky hair and tried to comfort himself. This certainly isn't going how he had hoped it would, his hand and neck were painful reminders of that.

He was nervous about the ceremony, what if she tried something? Hurting his friends and neighbors was something he hoped she wouldn't make him do. He stared at his hand and sighed heavily, wondering if he'd need to go to the emergency room. "This was supposed to be one of the happiest days of our lives…" He said on the verge of tears. "I love you more than anything…" He sobbed, clutching her to his chest. Emily sighed, silent tears streamed down her face. "I'm sorry…" Her voice cracked. "It's okay, Emily. I've already forgiven you." He sniffled, trying to get his composure.

He glanced over at the clock, "It's time." He said quietly, pulling away from his bride, smiling at her with pleading eyes. "We wouldn't want to be late to our own wedding, would we?" He said with a nervous laugh, hoping the pill would calm her soon.

Emily silently followed him to the front door where she noticed a padlock on the door, her heart sank into her stomach. Bill turned to her and handed her a bouquet of white and dusty pink roses with sprigs of baby's breath. He smiled warmly, "It's our wedding day, smile!" She just looked down at her shoes. Bill sighed softly and tucked the gun into his waistband. "Emily, don't make me hurt our guests." He pleaded softly. The last thing Emily wanted was for this monster to hurt anyone else for her stupidity. She hated how helpless she was. "At least act like you're happy…" Bill muttered as he laced his fingers with hers and opened the door.

Emily grit her teeth and squinted as the afternoon sun blinded her. She followed Bill across the street to the ceremony that was at Hank's for some reason. Once her eyes adjusted she noticed all the people already sat down in folding chairs. A lump formed in her throat as all eyes were on them. Bill held let go of her hand and took her arm, holding her up as she could barely walk. Forgoing tradition, they walked up the aisle together. Emily wanted to scream, run, anything but being silently dragged to the altar. Tears streamed down her face as she tried to stand on her own. Why was she trying to stand? If she just let her legs give then maybe she could be freed. The answer buzzed loudly in the back of her head. It wasn't her life that was in mortal danger, it was the supposed innocent guests. The minister introduced himself to Emily as Dave since Bill handled everything. Emily stared at him with pleading eyes, he either missed or ignored her look as he prepared to begin the ceremony.

The minister cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. "Friends, we are gathered here today in the sight of God to witness and bless the joining together of Bill and Emily in marriage. Bill and Emily have come to give themselves to one another in this holy covenant.

Minster Dave looked at Bill and Emily, "I ask you now, in the presence of God and these people, to declare your intention to enter into union with one another through the grace of Jesus Christ, who calls you into union with himself as acknowledged in your baptism."

The minister looks at Emily "Emily, will you have Bill to be your husband, to live together in holy marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?" He asked giving her an expectant look. Emily's throat went dry, she was unable to speak as tears clouded her vision. This was it, wasn't it? All the fantasies of just running to her freedom and saying eff it to the small crowd left her head. She couldn't do it; her legs could barely keep her standing. "I will." She said barely above a whisper.

"Bill, will you have Emily to be your wife, to live together in holy marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?" The minister asked. "I will." Bill chirped.

"Let us pray. Eternal God, creator and preserver of life of all life, author of salvation, giver of all grace; bless and sanctify with your Holy Spirit Bill and Emily, who come now to join in marriage. Grant that they may give their vows to each other. In the strength of your steadfast love enable them to grow in love and peace with you and with one another all their days, that they may reach out in concern and service to the world; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." Minster Dave said.

Bill turned to Emily and held both of her trembling hands. He gave her a warm smile before saying his vows. "In the name of God, I, Bill, take you, Emily, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow.

Emily blinked away tears, his sickened her. She didn't want to say what equated to a verbal ball and chain to her captor. She wasn't even sure she was capable of speaking. Bill and the minister gave her looks of concern. "I-I-In the name o-of God, I, Emily, t-take you, Bill, to be my…my husband." Her voice cracked. She wanted to pull her hands out of his sweaty grip and run away. "T-To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by…death… This is my solemn vow…" She said her voice barely audible. Emily started when she saw Bill reaching in his pocket, even though he pulled out the rings, she still wasn't relieved.

The minister said," These rings are the outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace, signifying to us the union between Jesus Christ and his church. Bless, O Lord, the giving of these rings, that they who wear them may live in your peace and continue in your favor all the days of their life; Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

"Emily, I give you this ring as a sign of my vow, and with all that I am, and all that I have." Bill said, misty eyed, as he slid the ring onto her shaking finger.

"Bill, I-I give you this ring as a-a sign of my vow, and with all that I am, and all that I have…" She choked out, barely able to hold the ring. She dropped it in hopes of creating a distraction but the minister quickly picked it up and handed it back to her. Her heart sank as she slid the ring onto his awaiting finger.

"Now that Bill and Emily have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands, and the giving and receiving of rings, I announce to you that they are husband and wife; In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Those whom God has joined together, let no one put asunder. You may kiss your bride." Minister Dave said joyously.

Bill pulled Emily close kissed her passionately. She grimaced and didn't kiss him back. He pulled away but kept close to her.

"I introduce to you, for the first time, Mr. & Mrs. Dauterive!" Minister Dave announced cheerfully.

The congregation clapped and whistled. Bill dragged her down the 'aisle' towards the three-tiered cake. He picked up the cake cutter and handed it to Emily, then wrapped his larger hand over hers. Bill moved their hands to cut a small slice of cake, with his other hand he picked up the cake slice and held it to her lips, she took a dainty bite, not even enjoying the taste. "Smash it in his face!" She heard someone yell, god did she want to. It would be a great distraction, but she didn't want any of the oblivious assholes to get murdered because of her naïve fuck up. She placed a hand over his and guided it to his mouth, he took a large bite and smiled. Emily plastered a fake smile on her face and sighed heavily.

He led her to a picnic table and sat down after someone else took over distributing the cake. She quietly cried at her helplessness; that minister was an oblivious fuck that bought all of Bill's lies. Apparently, everyone else did too. The guests all seemed so happy. Bill stroked the back of her hand, startling her out of her thoughts. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and held her close.

"Aww, Mrs. Dauterive is so happy she's crying!" Emily heard Luanne's excited comment and grit her teeth; if only she knew. She looked up and saw Luanne standing in front of them with her parasite in tow. A grimace formed on Emily's face as her stomach flopped, that would be her fate if she wasn't rescued or able to escape… "Congratulations!" She sniffled before sauntering off. Emily looked at Bill to see him smiling stupidly at her, just as she was about to turn away he leaned in and kissed her, eliciting various woops and whistles from the guests. She wondered why they were so damn excited over a gross kiss. Bill picked up a napkin and gently patted her eyes and cheeks dry. He gave her a reassuring smile.

Emily wanted to scream for help, but she was afraid to call Bill on his threat. She looked around and saw everyone sitting down and chatting among each other. Would he really do it? Emily took a small bite of cake, savoring the taste. Her frazzled mine was frantically searching for any kind of subtle cue she could give. If only she had something to write with… She knew he wouldn't leave her side, so there was no other way she could think of to alert anyone. Her desperate eyes swept the small gathering, nothing. Emily crumpled the fabric of her dress in her fists, certain she was screwed. If he can do all of this to her then there was no doubt in her mind that he wouldn't hesitate to murder someone, her blood ran cold. Would he kill her if she didn't do what he wanted? His bandaged hand grazed her upper arm as he went to stroke her cheek with the back of his fingers. Emily sat rigid, the contact making her stomach churn.

"You've made me the happiest man alive." He said softly, placing a hand over hers. Emily couldn't meet his eyes and looked at her lap. She bit her lip so hard it bled, tears flooded her vision. "Emily!" She heard Bill cry as he pressed a napkin to her lips. "What did you do?" He asked in concern. She shrugged, noticing all eyes were on them. The look he gave her made her shrink back. Emily tried to stand, but Bill's iron grip on her forearm kept her planted in the chair. She felt what she thought was the barrel of a gun jabbed into her side. A shiver ran down her spine. It was a cold reminder of how trapped she truly was. There would be no rescue or escape today or in the near future. She tried to keep her composure and pretend to be the happy bride he wanted to ensure her survival. Emily's smile didn't reach her distant eyes. The feeling of the hard barrel of the gun still burned in her side, even after he put it away. He pressed another tissue to her lip and firmly held pressure to it. "Why did you have to do that?" He asked softly. Emily didn't answer and pulled away. Bill gave her a hurt look and moved toward her face. She plucked a napkin from the table and held it to her mouth, wanting all the distance she could get, crushing the stems of the forgotten bouquet in her other hand. Emily carefully pulled the tissue away when she was sure the bleeding had stopped. With all the attention on her she was still doomed. How could they not see her distress? Did they know about his sick fantasy and were just playing along? Surely not…

Her lids felt heavy as she noticed her anxiety had seemed to fade away. Emily questioned why she didn't feel the crushing hopelessness as much anymore. She stared at the half-eaten slice of cake in front of her. What was going on? Thinking about it her feelings of terror seemed to mellow out as the wedding went on. Maybe it was that pill he forced her to take? Figures… Bill gave his wife a look of concern as she was staring at the table. He took her hand into his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Emily didn't care enough to pull her hand away. She blinked in surprise when a plate of food appeared in front of her suddenly. Bill let go of her hand to her relief. She took a small bite of the steak. It was pretty good. She tiredly ate the meal, wondering how the fuck she was going to survive what he was planning for her. Once the pill wore off she knew she'd be freaking out. She put her fork down quietly and laced her fingers together, waiting patiently for whatever was next. Emily felt heavy and leaned against Bill's shoulder. He smiled at her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She sighed, closed her eyes and zoned out. So much for this wouldn't be her life…

Emily wasn't sure how much time had passed since she tuned out all the speeches and what not. Bill nudged her, pulling her back to Earth. She stared at him blankly for a moment before following his lead and stood. Music began to play as he led her to the center of the guests. A frown formed on her face as he pulled her close to his chest and wrapped his arms around her waist. Emily hesitantly wrapped her arms around his neck. She was light headed and queasy as she dragged her feet, stepping on his toes constantly. He looked into her glassy eyes lovingly and leaned in for a kiss. Bile rose in her throat when his warm lips made contact with hers. The cheesy sappy song made her feel sicker the longer it went on. The dance seemed to stretch for an eternity when it finally ended. Bill whisked her into his arms bridal style as she was so unsteady on her feet. The guests clapped and cheered, moving onto the designated dance area themselves as another song started up. Emily just wanted to be set down somewhere still. She rested her head against his shoulder and fought her drooping lids. What if she never woke up again? She couldn't be bothered with putting any stock into that fearful thought as she nodded off.

Emily stirred awake and looked around bleary eyed. Were they still at the wedding? She heard Bill mumbling something. "What?" She asked dazed. "It's time to throw the bouquet!" Bill said excitedly. Bouquet? She stared at the flowers in her hand in confusion before it slowly dawned on her. Emily halfheartedly tossed the bouquet behind her to the awaiting girls who scrambled to catch it. She finally noticed she was being carried and furrowed her brows in confusion. "I got it!" She heard a female voice shout victoriously. Emily stared blankly at the young girl smiling back at her. More clapping ensued, drowning out Kahn's shouts.

This was it, if she didn't do something now her fate would be sealed. Emily found herself trying to care, but all she cared about was sleep. Bill waved goodbye to their guests and crossed the road to their home. He managed to open the door with her still in his arms and carried her across the threshold inside. Tiredly making his way to their bed, he laid her down gently, glad his arms could get finally get a break. He sat down next to her and loosened his tie.

"Emily, will you help undress me?" He asked. She struggled to sit up, it was an exhausting day. Emily mechanically unbuttoned his jacket and shirt, then took off his tie, then she unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his pants. She kicked off her heels and slowly made her way to the door. "You forgot to do my shirt stays." He said sheepishly. With a sigh she crossed the room and kneeled to unfasten a shirt stay. She let it go and stared up at Bill when he yelped in pain to see him doubled over holding his groin. "Careful, Emily!" He grunted. Emily shrugged and carefully did the rest under his pained gaze. She stood and pulled the bow on her dress loose. Bill came up behind her loosening the laces and helped her out of the dress. His heart raced as he took in her exposed flesh. Emily wrapped her arms around herself and stood there facing away from him.

"I'm eager to consummate our marriage." He said huskily, caressing her shoulder. She sighed in defeat and sat on the bed, her shoulder slumped forward. Bill's hungry gaze turned to concern. He sat beside her and laced their fingers together. "Give it a chance…" He said softly, caressing the back of her hand with his thumb. Emily sighed, she was screwed. "Let's get this over with." She sighed.

"I want to take my time and make love with you He growled lustfully, stroking her thigh. Bill climbed atop her and pressed his lips to hers. They were warm and wet. She mirrored his movements and tried to not be sick. He tangled his fingers in her hair and moaned as he dry humped her thigh. Emily stared at the ceiling, dread filled the pit of her stomach. She wished she had tried harder or threw caution to the wind and called him on his threat. He trailed kisses down her jawline to her neck. A gasp escaped her lips when he bit down on her neck. She whimpered from the pain and tried to pull away only to be held down. Bill sucked on a particularly sensitive spot getting rewarded with a surprised moan. She felt sick as her wet cheeks flushed. He flipped her onto her stomach then unhooked her bra and garter belt. Clumsy hands tore the clips off her stockings leaving her naked. Bill grabbed a handful of her ass, appreciating its firmness, her tight body belonged to him now. He caressed her spine, grinning hungrily as she shuddered. "Roll over." He huskily said. She did, watching him with fearful eyes.

He spread her legs and lowered himself between them, kissing her inner thighs. His hot breaths on her groin sent sparks up her spine. Emily tried to close her legs, but he held them in place. "I'm starting to think you like being handcuffed." Bill growled. She stilled and pressed the heels if her palms to her eyes. A startled gasp escaped her lips when his tongue stroked her clitoris. "S-Stop." She said weakly. He ignored her and lavished her pearl with hot wet strokes. Emily moaned and squirmed hating how good it felt. She wanted him to stop, her stomach churned. "P-please Bill!" She whined, trying to push him away. He stopped and snatched up the cuffs on the nightstand, swiftly cuffing her wrists to the headboard. She kicked at him and screamed. Bill huffed and quickly ripped off a price of duct tape, silencing her instantly. "No! Please! I'm sorry! I'll be quiet! I'll be quiet!" She begged, kicking at him. He grunted when she landed a blow to his side and quickly slapped on the silver adhesive, muffling her cries instantly. The mood dampened a bit he got re-positioned, holding her squirming legs firmly. He continued his assault on her pearl, enjoying her muffled sounds. Bill relentlessly kept at it until he felt her shudder beneath his lips. His chin slick from his saliva and her lubricant. Her ragged breaths were music to his ears. He crawled over her and rubbed his head on her entrance.

Bill let out a loud throaty moan as he slid into her. "Are you ready for the Billdozer?" He growled as he ripped the tape from her mouth. Emily shook her head no as she gasped for air. "You feel so good." He whispered as he rocked his hips slowly, grinding his pelvis against hers. She moaned and arched her back, glad it didn't hurt like the other times. Bill smashed his lips to hers and picked up the pace. Emily turned her head away, trying to swallow the bile rising in her throat. Her body's betrayal was humiliating. She found herself moaning with each thrust. Bill recaptured her lips and shoved his tongue into her mouth, forcing her to taste herself. She bit down, but he pulled his tongue out in time. He quickly put both of her legs over his shoulders for deeper penetration. Emily cried from the intense stimulation. Bill grunted as he slammed into her reaching his climax. He buried himself deep into her core as he shot his seed. The wind was knocked out of her when he slumped down, taking ragged breaths.

Sobs racked through her spent body. Bill rolled off of her and pressed himself to her side, wrapping a protective arm over her waist. "I love you, Emily." He said breathlessly. She felt his hot seed ooze out and run down her crack, a cruel messy reminder. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of pregnancy and hoped he was sterile. "I love you..." He said again in desperation, futility wiping away her tears. "I love you too..." She lied, clenching her fists and pulling at the cuffs. Emily slumped down in exhaustion, an intense mix of disgust, rage, and terror filled her.

"Can...can you clean me up please?" She croaked. He stiffened and gave her a hurt look. "Please, it's uncomfortable." She whined. Bill patted her stomach and begrudgingly plucked up his discarded boxers at the foot of the bed. She spread her legs for him and closed her eyes as she waited. He gently wiped her clean, going as far as wiping her crack. "Thank you..." She whispered in humiliation as he wiped himself off as well. Emily pulled her knees to her chest and quietly sobbed.

Bill pulled her to his side and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. The feel of his hot flesh on hers drove her mad. He leaned in to kiss her, the scent of sex still clinging to his chin made her gag, giving him pause. "Are you okay?" He asked in concern. Emily shook her head and stared at her knees. He gently cupped her cheek, "You can tell me anything." He said softly, caressing her cheek with his thumb. "You stink." She said lamely, thinking better of keeping the truth to herself for the moment. "Oh." He said, trying to hide his embarrassment.

An awkward moment passed before he recovered. "Tomorrow we're going on our honeymoon. Well it's our new house really, but it'll be just us, which will be even more romantic." Bill said excitedly as he settled down next to her. "You should try to get some sleep, you'll need your rest." He said as he pulled to his chest and wrapped his arm around her waist. She hated how he could manhandle her with such ease. "I love you, my sweet bride." He whispered and kissed the back of her head. Emily mumbled something back as she drifted off the sleep. He stroked her stomach as he laid there in thought, waiting for morning to come.


	14. Chapter 14

The blaring alarm clock startled Emily awake. She frantically looked around bleary eyed as she fought to move her numb arms. Bill groaned and blindly fumbled around for the snooze button. With a sigh he got up and shuffled to Emily's side of the bed. He took off her restraints, wincing when her arms dropped to her sides. Bill turned on the light and gave her a look of concern as he approached her, noting her pained expression. "I know." He whispered as he sat next to her and tiredly rubbed her shoulders. The pins and needles in her arms sobered her up quickly.

She stood abruptly and bolted out of the bedroom. Caught off guard, Bill scrambled after her and promptly tackled his wife to the floor, knocking the wind out of her. He sat up, straddling her, and glared at the dazed woman beneath him. Emily wheezed, trying to get her bearings. It felt like she was hit by a train. She turned her head to face Bill, paralyzed in fear. He grit his teeth and slapped her. A shriek tore out of her throat as her head whipped to the side. She curled into the fetal position, sobbing, her cheek stung.

Bill clenched his fists and took a deep breath. He placed a comforting hand on her side. She tensed and recoiled from the offending gesture. Rejection burned in his chest. He stood quickly and took a step back, his eyes glued to his love lying on the floor. Would she ever accept him? Bill wouldn't give her much of a choice.

"I'm sorry, Emily, I didn't mean to slap you I was just so angry I…" He trailed off, he shouldn't have to apologize, she shouldn't have run away from her husband like that. "Don't do that again." He warned. She nodded meekly, still shaken, afraid to upset him further. He gazed into her fear stricken eyes and held back tears. This is not how he wanted her to look at him. He wanted her eyes to be filled with love and warmth, not terror. Bill nuzzled her cheek and took in her scent, a small spark of warmth mixed with the stinging rejection. She was still his either way, which was a minor comfort. "I love you." He said softly, his chest tight. Emily stared vacantly at his double chin wondering what she should do. "I love you too." She said miserably, hoping to avoid another beating…or worse. A glimmer of hope perked Bill up. He cupped her cheek and pressed his lips to hers. Bill rested his forehead on hers and closed his eyes. "We're going to our new home today" He said softly. A sinking feeling washed over her. Of course, he wanted to make sure they were isolated.

He helped Emily up and led her back to the bedroom. Bill pulled out a dress from his closet and handed it to her. Emily held the dress at arms length and looked it over. It was a simple long sleeved emerald green dress. She put it on and was glad it went down to her knees. "No bra or panties? You must be eager to jump into bed with me." He purred as he rubbed his thumbs over her nipples. She shuddered and looked at her feet, her cheeks flushed in shame. It hadn't occurred to her to put on any underwear. He kissed her neck and cupped her sex. She was naked moments ago why the hell was he feeling her up now? Emily thought in a panic. "Why don't we save it for later?" She squeaked. Bill massaged her breast as he thought it over. "You want to make me wait?" He said huskily, sending ice down her spine. "Y-yes." She said shakily. He pulled away and smacked her bottom playfully. She sighed in relief.

Bill got dressed in a pair of jeans, black tank top and a red plaid button up. He winced and stared at his injured hand, forgetting all about it until now. The bandages needed changing. "Emily, will you change my bandages?" He asked. "Of course." She said softly, following him to the bathroom. She took some clean gauze out of the first aid kit and got to work taking off the old bandages. Emily carefully put on the new gauze and taped it in place. Bill inspected his hand, pleased with her handiwork. Warmth blossomed in his chest, maybe she did care about him. He put a finger under her chin and gently tilted her head up. Bill gazed into her uncertain eyes for a moment, getting lost in them. "I have to go to the bathroom." She said softly. Bill gave her a 'what are you waiting for' look. With a sigh she did her business and looked away, trying to pretend he wasn't there. She finished and washed up, drying her hands on her dress. He pulled her into an awkward hug and held her for a few moments.

Bill reluctantly pulled away and pulled her by the hand towards the door. "Don't try anything, my love, you don't want to make me have to hurt innocent people." He warned softly, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. Emily swallowed thickly and nodded. "Um, can I please put on some underwear?" She asked nervously, feeling exposed. "No." He said and grabbed a handful of her ass. She put on a pair of flip flops that she left by the door before things went to hell. He opened the door and walked her to the car. She reluctantly got in and slumped down in the seat.

He got in and gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. "Put your seatbelt on, Emily." Bill said softly as he started the car. She begrudgingly put it on, so much for getting him pulled over for her not wearing a seatbelt. Bill pulled out of the neighborhood and reached over for her hand, lacing their fingers together. Emily marveled at him driving one handed for a moment before failing an attempt to pull her hand out of his iron grip. She grimaced in disgust as his hand was already sweaty.

Emily stared at the passing scenery. Fear gripped her heart the closer they got to wherever they were going. As much as she wanted to try to alert someone to her plight she didn't dare take him on his bluff. She clenched her fist in momentary anger; her parents were fucking right. What little freedom she experienced was nowhere near worth the hell she landed herself into. Was this her life now? Maybe she deserved it for being so stupid, she thought.

Bill squeezed her hand lovingly, excited to start their new life. He looked over at her for a second and smiled. Emily quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and tried to throw open the door, but to her horror it was locked, and she couldn't unlock it. He held her hand tighter and strained to keep the wheel steady as she tried to jerk out of his grasp. "Put your seatbelt on!" He barked, startled. "Emily!" He yelled, nervous something might happen even though the road was mostly empty. She sighed and put the seatbelt back on, leaning as far away as she could. Bill let out a long sigh, thankful he remembered to put the child safety locks on. "W-what were you thinking?! You could have gotten hurt or killed!" Bill said, his chest heaving. Emily shrugged and laid her head on the window.

"Don't ever do anything like that again! You gave me a heart attack!" Bill said, calming down a little. Emily rolled her eyes, if only. "Why did you do that?" He asked, glancing at her. She squeezed his hand as hard as she could, hoping he'd let go. "Emily!" He demanded. "Leave me alone!" She yelled, pressing herself against the car door, trying to get as much space as possible. "It's not just about you anymore! You have a husband and hopefully a baby on the way soon! You can't be so reckless!" He said, gripping her hand tightly. Baby…Emily sobbed violently. "Why are you crying? You're a wife and soon to be mother, you can't act like a selfish teenager anymore!" Bill said in frustration.

"I'm only 18…I never asked for any of this. I just want to go home…" Emily said in between sobs. "We're on our way home right now." Bill said, letting go of her hand and patting her thigh roughly. Emily let out a high-pitched whine and frantically pawed at the control panel trying to get the window to roll down. "Don't bother, the child safety is on, since you're acting like a child." Bill spat. Emily balled her fists and threw a punch, aiming for his head. He caught her fist in his hand with ease. "Oh shit!" She whined as she cowered down. "I'm sorry, Bill. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please…please don't hurt me!" She cried as she got down into the floorboard. Guilt ate at him as he saw her cowering down. He let out a sigh. "Get back in the seat, Emily." He said in resignation. Emily ignored him and stayed put. "It's not safe down there. C'mon get back in your seat and put your seatbelt on." He said worriedly. Emily reluctantly complied, the last thing she wanted to do was die. Bill stopped himself from reaching out to her and clutched the steering wheel tightly instead. They'd be home soon enough.

Bill pulled onto a dirt road several tense minutes later. A rough bump pulled Emily from her thoughts, she looked around and noticed she had no idea where they were. She cursed herself for not paying attention to such crucial details. It appeared they were in the middle of nowhere. "Shit." Emily muttered. Bill pulled into the long driveway and gave her a confused look as he put the car in park. Was there a point in running now? Emily's muscles tensed as she watched him get out of the car. He opened her door and she bolted out of the car toward the way they came.

"Emily!" Bill shouted. When he realized she wasn't coming back he sighed and pulled out his gun. Emily kept running, not daring to look behind her. He shook his head and shot the ground a few feet away from himself a few times. She screamed and dove to the ground. Bill jogged over to her and pulled her up by the upper arm, ignoring her ear-piercing shrieks, glad he chose a more secluded home. He dragged her back to the house.

Bill threw her to the floor and shut the door behind them. She scooted back, her body practically paralyzed in fear, eyes glued to the gun in his hand. He tucked it into his waistband and kneeled beside her. Emily saw the disappointment in his eyes. Was he going to kill her now? She acted too soon and now she was going to pay, she cursed herself. Bill grabbed her throat and pulled her to his face. She struggled to breathe and tried to pry his strong hand off her windpipe. "Please." She wheezed, hoping he'd show mercy. He bared his teeth and squeezed a little tighter before letting her go.

He quickly stood and pulled her up by the hair. Emily screeched as he led her to what appeared to be a closet, she wasn't sure until he shoved her inside. She tried to open the door as soon as she regained her footing and screamed in frustration that it was of course locked. A rattling sound caught her attention, she slowed her breath to try to hear over her rapid heartbeat. What was he doing? Numerous thoughts swirled in her head and none of them good.

Loud footsteps alerted her to his presence. She stumbled backward until she hit the wall behind her in the shallow closet. The door opened, light flooded in, blinding her. She found herself in a gentle embrace. Emily let out a shaky breath and didn't pull away, afraid to anger him any further. Bill kissed the top of her head before pulling away and leading her to another room. He pushed her down by the shoulders onto a bed. "I'm sorry, Emily, you gave me no choice." He said as he wrapped a thick chain tightly around her ankle and pad locked it. Tears welled up in his eyes as he took in her horrorstruck face. "I can't risk you running away from me." His voice cracked. The chain felt heavy around her around her ankle. There didn't look to be any way to slip out either. "Were you actually going to kill me?" Emily asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "No." He whispered, stroking her cheek. "You shot at me." She said, her voice hoarse. "I shot the ground by my feet." He said as he sat next to her.

Bill pulled her into his lap and held her tightly, sobbing into the crook of her neck. "I just wanted to have the perfect the family. I love you and I want you to love me and our children to come." He sobbed, holding a fistful of her hair, close to her scalp. His hot breath dampened her neck and shoulder. Sobs racked through Emily's body as the roller coaster of emotions took its toll on her. Bill wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and took a few deep breaths. He smashed his lips to hers, desperate for affection from his wife. Emily spluttered and tried to push him away, he kissed her harder and forcefully parted her lips with his tongue. She groaned and kept her mouth clamped shut. Bill gave up on his assault of her mouth and broke the kiss. He stared at her with tears streaming down his face, taking in her disgusted look. He disgusted his own wife. "Damn, Emily!" He snarled, startling her. She recoiled from him and pulled her knees to her chest.

"You're my wife now…don't you love me?" He asked, placing a hand on her knee. Emily stared at him, was he serious? "I don't know what to say." She whispered, trying to keep herself together. "Do you love me?" He asked desperately, crawling into her lap. She contemplated her answer, of course she didn't love him, but a little acting might save her life until she could talk some sense into him. "…Yes." She forced herself to say. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and rested his head on her shoulder. "I love you too" He said and planted a slobbery kiss on her cheek.

Bill got up and extended his hand to her. She reluctantly took it and got to her feet. He laced their fingers together and smiled warmly at her. Emily followed him around as he showed off the house, painfully aware of the chain loudly rattling every step she took. "Awfully weird for such a long chain to just be conveniently laying around." She said passive aggressively, baiting him. He shook his head and sighed. "If you didn't try to run away from me all the time I wouldn't have to chain you up." Bill said resignedly. Emily clenched her jaw and held her tongue. "You'll see that life with me isn't so bad." He said as he pulled her into an embrace, kissing the top of her head. She rolled her eyes, "That's easy for you to say since you're not the one chained up." She muttered.

Bill ignored her and took a long look around him, imagining it to be a home filled with love, warmth, and a few children. "Oh, the house is so lovely! All we need is the pitter patter of tiny feet to make it perfect!" Bill gushed, whisking Emily into his arms. She scowled, "You know what's better than the pitter patter of little feet? Blissful fucking silence." She snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. He sighed and shook his head. She looked away and stared out of the living room window, tears silently flowing down her cheeks. "The loneliness of silence isn't so blissful, Emily." Bill said, from years of experience. "It's all I long for." She whispered, warm tears streaming down her cheeks.

He set her back down on her feet and hesitantly reached for her hand. She let him hold her hand, not daring to look him in the face, not yet. Her wedding band felt just as heavy as the chain around her ankle. The feeling of being trapped suffocated her. There was no escaping now. No hopeful opportunity. She was stuck, his slave, his broodmare. Ice ran down her spine as her situation finally sank in. She let what few chances she had slip through her fingers and wondered if she deserved this.

Emily wrenched her hand out of his and dashed to the door, the chain rattling uncomfortably loud behind her. She landed on the hard wood floor with a thud, a mere two feet from the door, reaching the end of her chain. Figures. A squeak of surprise escaped her lips when the chain was suddenly pulled, dragging her closer to him. Emily looked at him in horror. He dropped the chain and carefully knelt beside her. Bill gently stroked her tear stained cheek with the back of his hand. She cowered away from his touch, on the verge of hyperventilating. "Emily?" He said worriedly as he pulled her into his lap. She tiredly met his gaze, noting his concerned demeanor. Bill stroked her matted hair adoringly as he struggled with how to comfort her. He kissed her cheek and scooped her into his arms.

He stood and carried her to their bed, setting her down gently. Emily curled into the fetal position, awaiting his advances. Bill kicked off his jeans and took off the button up, sporting just a tank top when he crawled into bed beside her. He cuddled up to her and draped an arm over her waist. "Just get it over with." She whispered, sickened by his gentleness. "Making love is something to be savored not rushed to get it over with." Bill said dejectedly. He stroked her stomach with his thumb, enjoying her presence. Emily closed her eyes, succumbing to exhaustion. Bill held her tightly as he stared out of the window, hoping she would come around sooner rather than later.

Emily woke up to the smell of food and looked around for Bill, wondering if he violated her while she slept. She rolled out of bed and wandered into the kitchen, damning the rattling of the chain the whole way there. Bill looked up when he heard Emily enter the room and smiled warmly at her. She didn't return his warmth and sat at the table. He placed a hand over hers. Emily stared at the table, his hand much too warm, but she knew better than to pull away this time. She is his prisoner now, the band on her finger and the chain around her ankle were heavy reminders of that.

Bill got up and brought her a bowl of what he had cooked. She looked down and pursed her lips, beanie weenies. "Is something wrong, Emily?" Bill asked in concern. "I'm not hungry." She said quietly. "Oh." He said and removed the offending meal from the table. "You need to eat." He said, giving her a look of concern, still holding the bowl of beans. "Just give me a monster…if there's any here…" Emily said sullenly. Bill set the bowl on the counter and rummaged around in the pantry. A moment later he handed the drink to Emily, his hand lingering next to hers. She wasted no time opening the drink and taking a swig.

"Enjoy it, that's going to be your last one." Bill said, taking a seat right next to her. Emily nearly did a spit take. How dare he? She gave him a withering glare. "Don't give me that look, it's for you and the baby's best interest." He said defensively. "If you're that worried about it then you wouldn't have tried to feed me those nitrates filled hotdogs." Emily snapped. "Hot dogs don't come with a warning label for pregnant or nursing women!" Bill snapped, eyeing the drink she was clutching. "It's probably there to cover their asses incase of some dumb preggo drinking it and blaming a potential complication or defect on the drink even though a cup of coffee has more caffeine per serving." Emily said and took another sip. "Some dumb 'preggo'? It's for their safety! Do you even hear yourself?" Bill snapped incredulously. Emily rolled her eyes. "Yeah." She said.

"What do you have against pregnant women and mothers?" Bill asked, not hiding his anger. Emily shook her head, "I just don't want any part of it." She said, thinking better of telling him the myriad of reasons she had against them. "You're going to be a part of it. I'm not going to let you waste your womb." Bill said, giving her an intense look. Emily lost her nerve and broke down crying. He stared at her in confusion and huffed. She buried her face in her arms, spilling a bit of her drink. "Shit!" She cried at the small loss and lifted her head back up, careful to not spill anymore. Bill calmed down and put a comforting hand over hers. She snatched her hand away and clutched her drink closer. He frowned and looked at the table, trying to squash the overwhelming feelings of rejection.

"All this over a stupid soda?" Bill said after a few tense minutes. "You know damn well that it isn't." Emily said, sniffling. "You have to grow up sometime, Emily." He said with a sigh. "That doesn't make someone grownup, Bill." She said sullenly. Bill shook his head and sighed heavily, this wasn't how he imagined things. "You'll love him or her when they arrive." He said with a glimmer of hope. "I doubt it." Emily muttered, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "You will, your woman instincts will take over. We'll be the perfect family." He said forcefully.

"What if your kids don't like you?" She said after a few minutes had passed. Bill gave her a confused look. "Why wouldn't they?" He asked. "Why would they?" She snapped, scolding herself internally for the outburst. "I would be their father, a good one at that." Bill snarled, slamming his hands down on the table. Emily shrank back into her chair, wishing she had just kept her mouth shut. "Why do you do that?!" He demanded, gesturing wildly at her demeanor. She shook her head and tried to speak, but no words would come out. He leaned closer to her, clenching his fists when she cowered. "Stop that!" He demanded, hating that she reacted to him like that. Emily sobbed, unsure of what to do. Bill pulled her out of the chair and into a forceful embrace. She froze. "Relax, shhh. I'm not going to hurt you." Bill said, trying to soothe her. "You already have!" Email whispered hoarsely. He sighed and rested his chin atop her head, holding her to him.

"I love you, Emily." He said, rubbing circles on her back. Emily didn't reply. She stared out of the window, wishing she was back in her old stuffy room. The same question in the back of her mind nagged her, what did she do to deserve this?


	15. Chapter 15

Emily watched Bill reluctantly walk out of the front door, he paused and blew her a kiss before shutting and locking the door. She spat on the floor, hating the lingering feeling of his kiss. The engine starting caught her attention. He was really leaving her alone. She pulled her knees to her chest, her back against the refrigerator. Ice went down her spine. She was all by herself in this creepy house. Emily bit her lip and tried to calm down. No matter how bad she wanted to escape the chain around her ankle prevented that. There didn't seem to be anything that could be useful in getting it off either since the house was mostly bare.

She stood and took a deep breath. Maybe he was bluffing earlier? Emily took a few careful steps to the kitchen window and opened it. "HELP!" She screamed as loud as she could. "SOMEBODY HELP! I'VE BEEN KIDNAPPED! HELP!" She screamed, her throat sore. She waited for some kind indicator that she was heard. A few more moments passed by, seeming unlikely she was heard. "Fuck!" She whined. Was there anyone close enough to hear her cries? No wonder he thought it was the perfect place, she thought miserably.

Emily paced around the kitchen anxiously, wishing there was some kind of weapon she could hide somewhere. There was nothing left to do but wait in the eerie quiet. She opened all the cabinets in search of a snack but only found a lone can of baked beans and turned her nose up at it. A frustrated sigh escaped her lips as she walked through the living room. It seemed like he was rubbing it in her face that she was trapped. She ripped the wedding band off her finger and threw it into the bedroom. That was the one thing she had control of, for the moment.

The chain rattled with each step she took, annoying her further. She peeked in the room that would become the nursery. A sick feeling washed over her, that would be a reality soon. Emily doubled over, dry heaving, glad she hadn't eaten today. Why was he doing this to her? There were plenty of baby rabid women out there. A sob racked through her body. She was his slave. Even her own body rebelled against her. Was she nothing more than some incubator? Disgust and despair hit her in waves. She could never bring herself to love the drooling shit bags that are babies, especially Bill's. Emily slammed the door shut and punched the wall, cursing her stupidity. She didn't deserve this.

She walked to the bedroom and flung herself down onto the bed. Her ankle ached. Emily pulled the covers over herself, even though it was uncomfortably warm. Her mind wandered to the horror games she had played, making her even more on edge. She huffed and reminded herself that the real monster was Bill, which wasn't much of a comfort. A part of her wished she had just let him blow his brains out.

Emily hated how she relied on him now. No one knew where she was. If something were to happen to Bill, she would be doomed. Living, no matter how shitty it was now, seemed much more appealing than death. She hoped he came back in a better mood.

She was fighting exhaustion, nervous about some poltergeist lurking around the corner in the deafening silence. Why was he so obsessed with the perfect 'family'? The perfect family was a boyfriend and a dog…maybe just the dog now…no boyfriend. The last thing she wanted was to make it out of this hellish nightmare to wind up with someone who changed their mind and wanted kids. The thought of having a boyfriend at all was unappealing. What if he would be just like Bill and demand kids? What if he lied about his stance on kids? The perfect family was her and how ever many dogs she could want. Dogs don't lie or do all this other horrible shit. The worse a dog could do would be to shit on the carpet or chew up the furniture. If she ever got out she would adopt a dog immediately, take self-defense classes and get some therapy. At least that's what she thought she would do.

Surely Bill has been around young children enough to know how awful taking care of them is? Why would he want such a thing? Emily clenched her jaw, of course, she would be doing all the bitch work. He wouldn't lift a goddamned finger. Slave. She was a slave to her reproductive organs and him. What a monster, she glared at the ceiling. She hoped one or both of them were infertile.

She hated how he seemed to get off on trying to get her pregnant. It sickened her to the very core. How he would stroke her stomach while staring off into space after raping her. It was only a matter of time she realized miserably. He didn't seem like he could be reasoned with on the matter either.

Silent tears streamed down her face. The thought of being a mother disgusted her. The last thing she wanted was some vile parasitic fetus stealing nutrients from her body and then wrecking it on the way out. Emily knew the raw deal of pregnancy and birth. Too many things could go wrong, and you were almost guaranteed to at least be incontinent. It bothered her how much people sugarcoated the ordeal. Maybe it would be a good thing for potential mothers to know about tearing, and other such horrors; or the very fact it could just straight up kill them.

Chest crushing fear took her breath away. What if she died from all this? This is not how she wanted to die. She'd rather him kill her than his parasite; at least it would be quicker. Emily closed her eyes and screamed.

About half an hour had passed when she finally got up. Her throat sore from all the screaming. There had to be something she could do. Some way she could cause a miscarriage when the time comes. Starving herself seemed the only thing that she could do for now, though she was sure he wouldn't let that happen.

Emily found a few disposable cups and took one. She filled it with tap water and sipped it. All that screaming for nothing. Pangs of hunger caught her attention. She hoped he brought back something edible.

She noticed it was getting late and that he hadn't returned yet. Maybe he was visiting neighbors or just taking his sweet time. As nerve wracking as being alone for the first time was, it was nice to get a break from Bill.

Bill felt guilty for leaving Emily all by herself on what was supposed to be their honeymoon. It was probably a good thing to give her a little space, he reasoned. He made damn sure she was secured before leaving, so that was one less thing to worry about. The chain around her ankle was less than ideal, he knew it would bruise soon if he didn't find a more suitable restraint.

His mouth watered as the scent of the Chinese take out he picked up wafted throughout the car. He hoped he got something to Emily's liking. Excitement filled him the closer he got to home. He missed her, even if he was only gone for a few short hours.

Emily's words swirled in his head, dampening his mood. Maybe she was worried he wouldn't help with the baby? He made a mental note to make sure she knew he wanted to be an involved father. She's young and probably upset she never got to venture out before settling down, he mused. She just needed time to settle in and adjust, that was it; however, a small part of himself still wasn't convinced. She would have to accept him eventually, especially as her husband and father of their future children.

He liked that she would be tethered to him forever via his kids. She is forever his, whether she likes it or not. He would never be lonely again or have to beg desperate women to sleep with him. His lips curved into a smirk, he wouldn't have to wait much longer to get laid. The thought of her wearing only the green dress made his heart race. Soon, he told himself. She would probably want to eat first. He couldn't wait to put a baby in her.

Bill sped up a little in his excitement to get home. It felt good to have someone waiting for him, depending on him, even if she didn't have a choice; she would literally die without him now. He liked the power he had over her. She couldn't run around on him like Lenore did, and couldn't leave him like she did either. Knowing that he was her first and only was special to him. She was his and his alone, forever and always.

He would show Emily that being a wife and mother would truly make her happy. They could spend all their time together since he retired a little early. He smiled, he would only have to be around the person he loved and could help her with their children. He would have to keep a tight leash on her for the first year or so he thought, that should be enough time to adjust and accept him…maybe even fall in love with him. It would be wonderful to have his wife fall in love with him. He hoped she would sooner rather than later.

Bill pulled into the long driveway, giddy with excitement. He parked and grabbed the food from the passenger seat before sauntering to the front door. "Honey, I'm home!" He shouted, and then giggled quietly as he shut the door. "Emily?" He called out worriedly since she didn't greet him. Could she be asleep? His heart skipped a beat when he noticed the open kitchen window. He pursed his lips and quickly looked in each room before finding her in the bedroom, fast asleep. A sigh of relief escaped his lips. "Oh, Emily." He cooed and sat next to her on the edge of the bed.

She stirred awake and tried to focus her blurry eyes. "Oh, my sleepy girl." He crooned and kissed her forehead. Emily groaned and shut her eyes. "Did you bring any food back with you?" She asked tiredly. "Hope you like Chinese." He said excitedly. She shrugged and nodded, it sure beat baked beans. "Were you okay while I was gone?" Bill asked, noting her hoarse voice. She nodded and sat up. "Why is your voice hoarse?" He asked with a sinking feeling. Emily stared back at like a deer caught in headlights. "You were screaming weren't you." He said dejectedly. "Yeah, pretty much. Then I took a nap." Emily said, trying to recover.

"Is it really that bad being my wife?" Bill asked taking her hand into his. "You didn't give me a choice. You're forcing me into a lifestyle I'm against with every fiber of my being. Also, you're a rapist." Emily said truthfully, testing her luck. Her words stung him to the core. He pulled his hand away and recoiled from her. Emily bit her lip and scolded herself for not spewing some bullshit he wanted to hear. "You must think I'm some monster." He sobbed through clenched teeth. She stared at him, unsure of what to do, afraid he was going to snap any moment. "You can make it right." She said hesitantly. "W-What do you mean?" He sobbed. "You can let me go and turn yourself in." Emily said nervously.

He stared at her in disbelief. "Turn myself in for what?" He asked with an edge in his voice. "Uh…uh…all this…" She squeaked. Bill deflated and hugged himself. "I'm sorry, Emily. I was just so desperate for you to return my feelings and start a family with me…I was so lonely until you came into my life. Why can't you just love me, Emily? We could be happy together." He sobbed bitterly. She kept her mouth shut and tried not to cry. "Please forgive me, Emily! Please! I love you! I didn't want things to happen like this! I-I couldn't let you go. I need you! Please!" He pleaded, taking both of her hands into his.

"I did love you, Bill. You didn't want my love." She said numbly, staring at their hands. "I do want your love! What are you talking about?!" He asked desperately. "I loved you as a fellow human being…but you really opened my eyes to how evil humankind can be." She rasped numbly. "That's…that's not the kind of love I was talking about." He said quietly, sniffling. "Isn't some form of love better than none?" She asked. "I love you, Emily, I really do. I'm sorry for any pain I've caused, but I'm not sorry for loving you, for marrying you, for keeping you here, or for trying to start a family with you." Bill said, squeezing her hands affectionately. Bile rose in her throat.

"Do you still love me?" He asked after a moment of tense silence. "Why would I?" Her voice cracked. Bill burst out in tears and pulled her into his chest. "Please!" He wailed. "I need you!" He whined as he squeezed her tighter. Emily tapped his arm in panic as he squeezed the breath out of her. Bill loosened his hold and buried his face in her hair. Emily cursed silently, she shouldn't feel bad for him, but here she was feeling a little sorry for him.

"Emily, I'm never letting you go. I can't. I'm in love with you. You're my wife. You're mine, forever." Bill blubbered in her ear. Her heart stopped at that moment. "Fuck me." She muttered under her breath, feeling like a caged animal. Emily inhaled sharply and elbowed him in the face. He reeled from the blow, staring at her in a shocked daze. She sprang to her feet and sprinted to the kitchen.

"Oh fuck!" She cried, realizing she was still stuck. Bill emerged from the room and stalked closer to her. A mix of fear and rage coursed through her veins as she picked up a chair and ran at him with it. He shielded himself with his arms, taking the blow with stride, he snarled and ripped the chair out of her hands with ease as she went in for a second swing. Emily screamed and quickly picked up as much slack in the chain as she could before Bill yanked her to him with it, knocking her off her feet. She managed to throw it around his neck just as he punched her in the face. Her vision went white for a moment, pain exploded in her cheek, the taste of blood filled her mouth. She tried to form words as she tried to focus her eyes on the blurry figure looming over her. A loud groan escaped her lips.

Bill glared down at her writhing form. "Hey, Bill…fuck you." She snarled, disorientated, and pulled him down with the chain, choking him. He wrapped his hands around her throat and squeezed tightly. Emily panicked, but didn't let go. Panic filled Bill as he felt faint, he headbutted her. She gasped for air, letting go. He gagged and rolled off her, coughing. She cried and curled into a ball, a splitting headache forming.

He recovered quickly and picked her up with ease. She noodled in his grip, so dizzy she forgot what was happening. He sat her forcefully down on the table. She fell back and stared at the ceiling numbly, trying to understand what was happening. Bill calmed down and took a moment to breathe, thinking she just gave up.

He pulled down his pants and pulled her to him by the legs. Emily mumbled incoherently and tried to push him away. Her weak attempts didn't phase him as he spat on his hand to lube up. He put her legs over his shoulders and pushed inside her. She laid there trying to get her bearings, his thrusts making her nauseous.

"Oh god my head…you're making me sick." She groaned, squeezing her eyes shut. Bill paused for a moment and gave her a dirty look. "I sicken you?" He snarled and continued his assault. She groaned and used the last of her strength to gouge his eyes. He grunted and quickly restrained her arms, crushing her wrists in his grip. Emily spat in his face, glaring daggers at him. He finished a moment later and wiped his face off with his shirt.

Bill pulled away, panting heavily. She laid there in defeat, trying to calm her spinning head. "I'm done, Emily." He snapped, still catching his breath. She groaned in response. "Do I really sicken you?" He asked a moment later, cupping her cheek in his hand. "I have a splitting headache, the motions…made it worse." She said weakly. "Oh." Bill's face softened a little as he stroked her cheek gently with his thumb.

He helped her off the table and lead her to the bedroom. She laid down and swallowed thickly. Bill left to retrieve the forgotten food. As soon as he left the room she used a sheet to wipe herself off. He set the food on the other side of the bed and sat down. "Are you still hungry?" Bill asked tentatively. "Not really." She whispered, silent tears streaming down her face.

She watched him stuff his face, her stomach churned, he disgusted her. He noticed her looking at him and smiled sheepishly at her. "How can you eat after all this?" She asked tiredly. "I'm hungry, you should eat too." He said and pushed a container towards her. She groaned and pushed it back. He placed a hand over hers and continued to eat. Emily didn't pull away, not wanting to set him off again and get battered further.

He inhaled his food and wiped his hands and mouth on his shirt before taking it off. She cringed and held her breath for a moment. "What?" He asked, noting her expression. "Nothing." She said quietly. Bill left the room to put the food away. Emily rolled onto her side and pulled her knees to her chest.

Soft cries caught his attention when he walked back into their room. "Emily?" He asked softly, carefully lying down beside her. She didn't answer him. He pulled her to his chest and kissed her forehead. "It'll get easier if you just love me." He said with a whine. "I'm a good husband, just give me a real chance, Emily." Bill said, rubbing circles on her back. "Whatever you want, Bill." Emily cried in defeat. "Emily, I do love you. I'm sorry about earlier." He said. She snorted in disbelief, "We both know that's bullshit."

"Emily! I love you! That's not bullshit!" He said defensively. "Your apology is bullshit." She said, sniffling. "It's not! I'm sorry for hitting you, even though you elbowed me in the face, hit me with a chair, and choked me." He said with a bite in his voice. Emily sighed and buried her face into a pillow. "Why do you get so violent? I only want to love you." Bill asked, stroking her hair. "Do you really have to ask that?" She said, muffled by the pillow.

"What will our children think about you attacking me all the time or trying to run away?" Bill asked a few moments later. "What the fuck does it matter?" She snapped in frustration. "It matters a lot! They need a stable loving home." He said sternly. "What did you expect, Bill? I fucking hate kids! I'm not mother material." Emily snarled, ignoring her pounding headache. "Don't say that, you don't mean it." He said desperately. "I hate kids, whether they would be my own or someone else's burden." She snapped, glaring at him. "But you were a kid once." He said, trying to wrap his head around her words.

"So what? I hated kids then too." She said, clenching her fists. "You'll love our kids." He said uncertainly. "When Hell freezes over." Emily said acidly. Bill gave her a wounded look as he blinked away tears. "How could you not love your own children?" He asked sadly. "I don't want them. You're trying to force me into the very thing I hate with every fiber of my being. Raping me and forcing me to birth your bastards won't make me love them or you." She snarled venomously.

"Do you hear yourself?!" Bill said in alarm. "Loud and clear, grandpa." Emily said nastily. His face twisted in anger. "Stop being a little brat! You think you sound all big and bad when you sound like a hateful bitch!" He said angrily, tears streaming down his face. "Still doesn't make me want your shits." Emily shouted. He punched the headboard. She recoiled from him, not wanting to get hit again.

"Goddamn it, Emily!" Bill yelled, clenching his fists. "Grow up! I'm your husband, treat me with respect!" He barked, looming over her. "Why are you so obsessed with knocking me up?" Emily demanded, sitting up. "I love you and want to have a family with you. I want you to have my baby." He said in a softer tone. "I'm terrified of pregnancy. It's horrifying, it could kill or disable me." Emily admitted, looking him in the eye. "Your body is made for that, there's nothing to be afraid of." Bill said, trying to reassure her. Emily scoffed "That's easy for you to say. All you have to do is blow your load. I'd be stuck with months of misery and then torn to shreds, and that's if everything goes right."

"It's not as bad as you're making it out to be. Pregnancy and motherhood are a part of being a woman. And I'm happy to make a woman of you." Bill said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged his hand off and glared pointedly at him. "NO IT ISN'T! JUST BECAUSE I HAVE THESE HORRID ORGANS DOES'NT MEAN I HAVE TO USE THEM! I'M JUST AS MUCH OF A WOMAN WHETHER OR NOT I BREED!" Emily screamed in rage. Bill huffed and straddled her hips, crushing her legs under his weight. "They're there for a reason. I'll take good care of you and our kids. You won't be doing all the work of raising them. I want to be an involved father and husband." Bill said softly, running his fingers over her collar bone.

"I still don't want any kids. I have dreams, I don't want them crushed by the feet of tiny tyrants. I have places to go, people to meet, dogs to adopt." Emily said roughly, squaring her shoulders. "You're not going anywhere without me, or our family. You can still have your dreams and dogs, Emily." Bill said sternly. "Quit saying my fucking name so fucking much!" She demanded. "You're being ridiculous, Emily." He said, leaning forward. "I DON'T WANT YOUR FUCKING BRATS!" Emily screamed in his face.

"You don't have a choice. It will be good for you, Emily; you need to grow up. You'll change your mind and be happy." Bill said, wiping away her tears. "Please, Bill. Don't do this to me. I'll be your wife, just don't force me to have kids, please." Emily begged, putting her hands on his chest. "You already are my wife and as my wife it is your duty to have my babies." He said in a sappy tone. Violent sobs racked through her body. "We'll be happy, I promise." Bill said as he tried to wipe away the flood of tears streaming down her face.

"I hate you!" She screeched, shoving his hands away from her face. He reeled from her words, rejection burned in his chest. "I love you." His voice hitched as he reached for her. Emily turned her face away from his hand. Bill grabbed her face and forced her to look at him. "I know you're young and wanted to experience the world some before settling down, but we're here now, we have what most of the world is searching for. And you're not really missing out." Bill said giving her a hopeful smile.

"Most people are unimaginative, there's so much the world has to offer, so many places to visit, so many things to do. There's more to life than wrangling shit goblins." Emily said hoarsely. "Jesus, Emily! People can be happy with kids!" Bill said exasperated. "That's if they wanted them. I never want kids, I never wanted to get married either." She said in frustration. "And here you are, married to me. See, you'll change your mind." Bill said victoriously, fussing with her hair. Emily stared at him in disbelief. "Besides, we get to have all the fun of trying to conceive." He said suggestively. She swallowed the rising bile in her throat. "I never understood that line of reasoning, why ruin your sex life with kids?" Emily said, pressing her back into the headboard.

"It's the ultimate expression of love. They would be half of me and half of you. I find that very romantic, Emily." Bill said, caressing her cheek. "That's repulsive." She spat, squeezing her eyes shut. He sighed and let go of her face. "You can't be selfish forever, my love." He said as he ran his finger over her lips. Emily wanted to scream.

Bill pressed his lips softly to hers, making her stomach churn. "I brought your game thing for you. We can set it up tomorrow if you like." He said lovingly, changing the subject. "Yeah…I'd like that…" She managed to say before bursting into tears again, her skin crawling. He kissed the side of her head and laid beside her. "You should get some rest." He said softly as he pulled her into his chest, spooning her. As much as she wanted to fight it, she was exhausted. Succumbing to sleep would be a nice break from this hellish nightmare she concluded. "I love you." He whispered. She ignored him and tried focusing on falling asleep.

Just as she was dozing off a loud snore startled her awake. She growled softly and leaned away from him, hoping he wouldn't keep her awake all night. She tried to put away all the swirling thoughts in her head. After awhile she finally drifted off.


	16. Chapter 16

A frustrated sigh escaped Emily's lips as she watched Bill try to get the hang of using her controller. She inched closer, ready to snatch her beloved controller from his inept hands. Bill noticed her hand hovering next to his out of his peripheral. He knew she was itching to take over. "I think I'm getting the hang of this, Emily." Bill said when he died again in game. She huffed and finally snatched the controller out of his hands. "That wasn't very nice." He said and turned to her. "Get good scrub." She hissed as she widened the gap between them, hating every minute of what she used enjoy.

Bill gave her a sour look and turned off the console. He stood and held out his hand. Emily stared at him nervously, gripping her controller tightly. "Emily." Bill demanded, gesturing towards the controller. She reluctantly gave it to him and bolted off to one of the rooms. He sighed as he watched her run off. She would have to learn how to share, he mused.

"What are you going to do when our kids want a turn, Dear?" Bill shouted, as he walked to the room she was hiding in. "They can go to hell; no slimy meat siren is touching my shit!" Emily yelled, her back against the door. "They're only dirty if you don't bathe them." Bill snorted. "Open the door." He ordered. She cracked it open with shaking hands.

He forced the door open all the way open and stared at her for a moment. "C'mon man." She whined as she took a few steps back, almost tripping over the chain. Bill closed the gap between them and pulled her into a tight embrace. Violent sobs racked through her. He looked around the empty room and sighed. "In a few years this will be our children's playroom." Bill said softly as he stroked her hair.

"Or it could be a gaming room, a study, personal library, office, or even a dog room." Emily said nervously. He frowned and pulled away from her. "A whole room for games? Or a dog for that matter? That's a bit of a waste don't you think? You could play your games in the living room with one of the kids and the dog can sleep in one of their rooms." He said, holding her in place by the shoulders. "It's a waste to fill empty rooms with unwanted children when they could be filled with something useful or worthwhile." She hissed as she violently shrugged his hands off. "Not this again. We're having kids, it's not up for debate. Now let's go back to your game thing and play with me." He said as he dragged her to the living room.

Emily stumbled behind him and tripped over the chain, landing on her knees. A loud pained cry echoed through the still mostly empty house. Bill kneeled beside her and pulled her into his arms to comfort her. The last thing she wanted was to be held by her captor. "I don't want to be a mother…" Emily sobbed in his arms. Bill sighed heavily and held her tighter. "Its one of the most joyous things a woman can experience." He said softly, stroking her hair. "Not all women!" She cried, trying to peel his arms away. "You'll change your mind and love them, Emily." He said with a glimmer of hope. "Why are you so fixated on this? Please…it can just be us you know." She begged, hoping he would pick the lesser of two evils. "I want to share our love with children we have made together." He said as he got in a more comfortable position, still holding her tightly. "We can get a dog instead." She pressed.

Bill sighed. "Emily, we can get a dog, but it's not changing the fact that we are going to have kids." He said, getting annoyed with her reluctance. "It's unethical to have a child, especially at your age! By the time the kid would be twenty you'd be at least sixty! How the fuck is that fair?" Emily snapped, clenching her fists. "We have to enjoy the time we have." He said with thinly veiled annoyance. "It's beyond selfish to-" Emily said before she was cut off. "Emily, enough, I'm not too old to have kids. Grow up." He snapped, releasing her from his hold.

"Bill! Please don't force me into this!" She pleaded. "Everyone has to make sacrifices for their relationship." He said softly as he picked up her controller and turned everything back on. She laid on the floor, sobbing violently. Bill sighed in frustration, "Throwing a tantrum isn't going to change anything." "I'm not throwing a tantrum! I just want to go home!" She bawled. "You. Are. Home." Bill snarled through clenched teeth.

Bill sighed and took a moment to calm down. "Come here and show me how to bring the game back up." He said in a softer tone, patting the floor beside him. Emily couldn't will herself to move, she just laid there sobbing. "Emily-" She cut him off "Just press A!" She yelled, still crying. He took a moment to look at the controller, trying to find said button. Once he found it he pressed it, bringing the game back up. "C'mon Emily, we can make the best of this, give me a chance." He said with a hopeful smile. She dried her eyes and forced herself to sit near him, so she could make sure he didn't destroy her stuff. He closed the gap between them to her dismay.

Emily rolled her eyes when he died for the hundredth time. She hated being forced to watch him fail miserably at the game, since he hadn't gotten used to the controller. "You have to move the right stick to move the camera." She croaked. "Camera?" He asked, giving her a puzzled look. "Like this." She said quietly as she took the controller from his hands and showed him how the camera angle changed when she moved it. "You have to move it to look around." She explained as she handed it back to him. "Oh!" He said and tried it out. "Maybe you should turn down the sensitivity for now." She said as she reached for the controller and adjusted the sensitivity some. "That should help a little until you're used to it." She said, her voice hoarse. "That's much better." He chirped.

She adjusted the chain around her ankle, noticing there were deep red indentions in her flesh. "Can you take the chain off, Bill? It's starting to bruise." He stiffened beside her. "It hurts!" She cried. "I will soon." He said, thinking of a better way to keep her shackled there. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and pulled her knees to her chest.

"I love you." He said warmly as he looked over at her. She stared at the screen and said nothing. His smile fell. "I know this hasn't been easy for you, Emily, but we can be a happy family if you give us a chance." He said softly before planting a kiss on the top of her head. "I love you too." She whispered, clenching her fists so hard her nails dug into her palms. Bill dropped the controller and wrapped his arms around her in elation. She swallowed the rising bile in her throat.

He lifted her chin and eagerly pressed his lips to hers. She reluctantly kissed back, hoping she could win his trust and maybe escape one day. Surprised by her returning his affection, he pulled away and studied her expression. Her eyes gave her away. Bill carefully dried them with his thumbs and pulled away from her, much to her relief. She looked at him quizzically. "Your eyes give you away." He said sorrowfully. Ice ran down her spine.

"I don't expect you to fall in love with me overnight, but I hope you will actually give us a real chance." He said placing a hand on her cheek. She shook her head and sniffled. "You say this while I am literally chained to the floor." She croaked, tears flowing down her cheeks. "I can't lose you, I can't lose another wife." He cried. Emily stared at him in wide eyed terror. "W-What happened to your first wife?" She asked, barely able to speak. "Lenore cheated on me every chance she got before finally leaving me." He said grudgingly. "And is she still alive?" Emily pressed, shaking. Bill gave her a look, "Yes." He said, wondering what she was getting at. Emily sighed in relief. "You're not like her, you're a good woman, Emily." He said as he entwined their hands. "I've been lonely for many years before you finally came into my life. I've had a few dates here and there, but they never really went any further than that." He said blinking away tears. She couldn't bring herself to feel bad for him.

"I won't let you leave me, I can't, I need you!" He said, inches from her face. Emily bit her quivering lip, losing what little resolve she had. He threw his arms around her and sobbed into the crook of her neck. She sobbed too, wanting to be anywhere but there. The last thing she wanted to do was to comfort him, but she found herself awkwardly patting his back, hoping he would release her from his suffocating embrace. "Oh, Emily." He sobbed even harder. She grimaced and tried to push him away, he pulled back and stared at her heartbrokenly.

"Bill…" The words died in her throat. What could she possibly say? "Yes, Emily?" He asked, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "Never mind." She whispered. "No no tell me!" He begged, taking both of her hands into his. "I…I forgot…" She said shakily. "Please tell me." He pleaded, mere inches from her face. "Do you love me?" She asked in hushed voice. "Of course I do!" He said softly, stroking her cheek. "Then don't force me into becoming the very thing that I'd rather die than become." She whispered. "Emily." He whispered, searching her eyes. "You don't mean that." He said, trying to reassure himself more than anything. "I do." She said, glaring at him.


	17. Chapter 17

The chain rattled violently behind her as she raced to the bathroom, slamming it shut in Bill's face. She pushed against the door, using her body weight to keep it shut as she fumbled with the lock. He pounded on the door, demanding to be let in. Emily heaved on unsteady feet, she fell to her knees and vomited, barely making it in the toilet. Sharp gasps filled the quiet bathroom, giving him pause. "Are you alright, Emily?" Bill asked worriedly. She didn't answer as she dry heaved. "Emily?!" He called, his face against the door.

She wiped her mouth and swallowed thickly. Disgust reverberated through her being. Used. Emily stood shakily and rinsed her mouth at the sink. Her stomach still violent. His touch still fresh. She clenched her jaw as she cleaned up with tremoring hands, drowning in despair. Loud sobs echoed in the small space. She climbed into the shower and turned on the water, sitting under its freezing spray. Wails of hopelessness escaped her lips. She began to vigorously scrub her skin raw, unable to wash away the filth.

Bill huffed and made a mental note to change the door handle later, one without a lock. He stood there another moment before making his way to the living room. Could she already be pregnant, he wondered since she suddenly got sick. He would make sure to test her later, trying to not get his hopes up. It was hard not to, this is the very thing he's wanted for so long. Emily's cries could be heard in the living room, dampening his mood. He wondered what has upset her so much, could it have been the sex? His mood worsened, was she still that disgusted? He shook his head and hoped it was morning sickness.

Emily shivered violently, unsure how long she sat under the freezing water. She turned on the warm water, burning her stiff limbs. Enduring the momentary pain, she pulled her knees into her chest, wondering when he would be back to bother her. She pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes as she mentally screamed. The revolting words he whispered in her ear while he had his way with her echoed in her head, making her dry heave again. He can take is perfect family fantasy and shove it, she thought angrily.

Bill glanced at the clock, she had been in there almost two hours. He got up and went to the bathroom. "Emily! Are you okay in there?" He asked worriedly as he rapped his knuckles on the door. She stiffened and said nothing, wanting to just be left alone. He pounded on the door a few times. "Emily, sweetheart? Let me in." He said in a soft tone. Emily glared at the door. "You got what you wanted already so leave me alone!" She snapped tiredly. He sighed and rested his head on the door. "You've been in there a long time, what's wrong?" He asked with a mix of worry and defeat. She dug her nails into her knees. "Do you really have to ask that?" She snapped tiredly.

"When you feel like it, sweetie." He said softly as he slid a small slender box under the door and then returned to the living room. He sighed heavily and hoped his gentler approach would show her there was nothing to be afraid of. The couch cushion sagged under his weight when he plopped down.

Curiosity got the best of her as she peeked out of the shower curtain to see what he was talking about. Of course it was a pregnancy test, she thought bitterly. She rolled her eyes when she picked it up. A part of her really didn't want to to know, but she went ahead and unopened the box. After reading the directions she nervously did the test. She carefully laid the test flat and waited with baited breath, hoping with every fiber of her being that she was parasite free.

Three minutes crawled by. Emily prepared herself and looked at the results, turning the test every which way to make sure it was in fact negative. She let out a sigh of relief. It was short lived when she thought about how he would react. Would he be angry with her? Should she lie and say she was pregnant and then maybe he'd leave her alone? He would probably demand to see the results anyway so telling the truth would be the best route, she thought miserably.

She turned off the water and wrapped a towel around her torso, staring hesitantly at the door. Her heart pounding, she opened the door and peered out of the bathroom. Footsteps caught her attention, making her want to hole back up in the bathroom. She cursed the stupid loud chain announcing her every movement.

Bill lit up when he saw her cowering just outside the bathroom clutching the test. He pulled her into a gentle embrace and kissed the top of her head. She practically shoved the test in his hand as she took a nervous step back. He hated seeing her like this, but turned his attention to the test. It was negative. His heart sank. Before Emily could creep back into the bathroom, he grabbed her trembling hand. "Emily." He whispered and pulled her into another embrace, the fear in her eyes like a knife to his heart.

"It's okay, it's okay, we'll just have to keep trying." He said quietly after a few moments, sending ice down her spine. She was afraid he'd say that. "We don't have to." She suggested nervously. He sighed miserably and squeezed her hand desperately. He hated how reluctant and unwilling she was. "We can be very happy together if you would just stop being so stubborn! Have I not treated you well?" He asked as her gripped her upper arms, inches from her face. She flinched and lowered her head. "A week isn't going to wash away all you've done and all that you are doing now." She said barely above a whisper. "I never wanted to treat you harshly." He said softly as he let go of one of her arms to stroke her cheek. "I did what I had to, but now it's different, this is how it will be for now on." He whispered and kissed her forehead. "So you'll take this fucking chain off then?" Emily cried, gripping his wrist. "You know I can't. I love you, I can't have you run away on me, and I know you'll try so don't lie to me." Bill said, fighting back tears. Emily cursed in her head, she would have to step up her act to gain his trust sooner, if at all. Swallowing her despair, she placed a palm on his cheek, with newfound resolve.

He smiled and leaned into her touch. "I love you." He said as he leaned in to kiss her. She met him midway, squashing down her disgust. No matter what she would survive, she thought with fierce determination. Bill pulled away and rested his forehead on hers. "It can be like this all the time, Emily." He said softly dropping his arms to her waist. "Ha, yeah I could do with that." She said with a laugh, waving the negative test. His crestfallen look alarmed her. Bill pulled away from her and stood there for a moment, staring dejectedly at the test in her hand. The wind left her sails as she kicked herself, hoping she didn't make a fatal mistake. "Hey, let's not ruin a good thing we have going here." She said nervously with a forced smile as she reached toward him.

He let her take his hand. "You know, that little joke cut deep. I was so hoping we were pregnant." He said dejectedly. Emily stared at him awkwardly. "I tried telling you we weren't compatible." She said gently, even though she wanted to rip his head off. "Don't give me that! That was heartless and you know it!" He said, pulling her closer. "Don't even start on what's heartless!" She yelled. "Emily! You know how bad I want this, how hard we've been trying!" He raised his voice, tightening his grip. She swallowed the rising bile in her throat. "Fuck what I want, I'm just your fucking incubator aren't I?!" She snarled, wrenching her hand out of his. "You're my wife, the love of my life, not some incubator. Growing our family doesn't make you any of the things you cry about." Bill said grabbing both of her hands. "Why...why are you so hell bent on this?" She asked, her voice cracked. "I want a family. When I put a baby in you, you'll see what it's all about." He said warmly, patting her belly. She clenched her jaw. "Don't be that way, Emily." He said and squeezing her hands affectionately.

"Please, come to your senses man!" Emily said as she tried to pull her hands away. He tightened his grip. "I want a family with you!" He cried. "Kids don't make a family! A married couple is a family!" She yelled. He huffed and threw his hands over his head. "Why don't you want my baby?" He asked, balling his fists. "I don't want anyone's fucking parasite!" She snapped. "Parasite? Grow the fuck up already!" He snapped in disbelief. "You're a fucking monster." She muttered under her breath and walked to the kitchen to get some space. He followed right behind her.

She stumbled over the chain as she turned to face him. "Emily." He called softly, steadying her much to her chagrin. "Don't, Emily me!" She snapped. "Emily." He said firmly. "I know this hasn't been easy for you, but you could at least cooperate." He said with a sigh. She balled her fists and huffed. "Cooperate? By what? Having all your gross ass babies?!" She snarled. He slapped her. The sharp sting brought tears to her eyes. Bill pulled her into a hug and murmured an apology as silent tears rolled down her cheeks.

He kissed the top of her head and released her. "Come on, stop fighting me on this, baby." He said softly as he stroked her cheek, backing her up til she was trapped between him and the counter. She would be damned if she let some spoiled little tyrant stomp all over her values and dreams. "Emily?" He asked worriedly, looming over her. She stared down at her feet hopelessly. He pulled her into another embrace and rubbed circles in her back that were anything but soothing to her. "It'll be alright." He whispered. Sob racked through her body. She hated how she couldn't hold in her emotions, allowing him to see her vulnerability. She weakly pushed him away, and wiped her eyes roughly.

"Do I make you so unhappy?" He cried, tears flowing freely down his cheeks. Emily bit her lip nervously, unsure how to answer. "...Yes." She whispered, her heart in her throat. Bill whined as he stared at her miserably. She squeaked in surprise when he suddenly pulled them both to the floor. "All I have ever wanted was to have a loving wife and family." He wailed, grabbing fistfuls of her hair. "I've never had any of that! I thought you were different, Emily. I hoped you would at least accept me. At least you can't sleep around on me like my ex-wife!" He sobbed bitterly. "We had something between us, remember when I saved you from that scumbag at the bar?" He asked, sniffling. She briefly wondered who would have been worse. "Remember the passion we shared on the drive home?" He asked with a glimmer of hope. She made a face and blinked away tears, how could she forget, she was disgusted with herself. "Yeah." She croaked. "Where did that spark go?" He asked desperately. "Away with my teenage impulses." She rasped. "I know it was more than that." He pressed. "It really wasn't." She sighed. He let out a whine as he buried his face in her hair.

"I was only curious, I tried telling I only wanted to stay friends, well roommates, but you wouldn't take no for an answer." She said, glaring at the ceiling. "But we're married now!" He cried. "You forced me to marry you!" She snapped. "So? I'm not a bad husband." He said, shifting so he could face her. "Then why did your first wife jump ship?" Emily asked, crossing her arms. Bill looked at her in disbelief. "She started cheating on me two weeks after our wedding!" He wailed, slamming his fists down on the tops of his thighs. "I honestly think you're just demonizing her for getting away." Emily said. Bill stared at her in shock. "Lenore cheated on me throughout our marriage, humiliated me, and just left me on Christmas Eve nine years ago!" He cried. "Can't say I blame her, if any of that is true." Emily said with sigh. He stared at her indignantly. "For leaving I mean." She quickly added. He huffed and held his head in his hands. "She left because she didn't love me anymore. It wasn't like you and I, Emily. I was so desperate for love and companionship I couldn't let you go." He said, his voice muffled. Emily sighed heavily and banged her head back on the cabinet in frustration.

"Maybe that's why you couldn't find a date, you ooze desperation, and that is a woman repellent." She said, 'Not to mention you're a fucking monster.' She added mentally. Bill rolled his eyes and shook his head. "None of that matters now; I have you." He said as he forcefully laced their fingers together. "So what, you want me to believe it was a typical marriage where Lenore or whatever just fell out of love, cheated on you and then eventually left? None of the shit you've put me through?" Emily asked with thinly veiled anger. "Well...yeah." He said with a frown. "Fuck me." She muttered under her breath. "You snapped...that's what all this is." She tried to reason. "I was so tired of the rejection, the loneliness...the frustration." He said, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. "And so you resorted to extreme measures." She continued, swallowing thickly. "I did." He said, his voice barely above a whisper. "You can make this right, Bill." Emily pressed. "I'm not letting you go if that is where you are going with this." He said with a hurt expression. She cursed and fought back tears.

Bill stood and held his hand out to her. She got up on her own and kept her distance. "We can make this work if you would just give us a chance." He said, closing the gap between them. "Get your head out of your ass with that bullshit!" Emily snarled, balling her fists. "I know you're angry and upset about all this, I-I understand, but you can move past that and have a life with me." He said as he wiped away her angry tears. "Oh yes, forgive everything my captor and rapist has put me through and just play house with him to spare his little feelings!" She spat acidly, shoving him away. Bill burst into tears. Emily skirted around him and dashed out of the kitchen. He quickly stepped on the chain and winced at the loud thud that followed.

"Don't run away from me." He cried as he kneeled beside her. "What was that for?" She sobbed, clutching her elbow. Bill gathered her in his arms and sobbed with her. "I do love you." He whimpered. "Just let me go!" She yelled as she tried to wriggle out of his embrace. He held on tighter, struggling to hold her. "Where will you go? Your parents won't have you back." He sniffled. "Anywhere, anywhere but here." She said breathlessly. "I don't want you to get hurt or dead, there are worse people out there than me that will actually hurt you. You're better off here with me, your loving husband that will keep you safe." Bill said, stroking her back. Emily rested for a moment, fighting exhaustion. "Are you trying to scare me?" Emily snapped tiredly. "No. That son of a bitch at the bar that I saved you from could have tortured or killed you if I hadn't intervened, and he isn't the only one." He said seriously. She scowled and grit her teeth. "I'll protect you, you're safe and loved with me." He said protectively. Emily glared over his shoulder. Safe was the furthest thing she was with him.

"I know you care, you wouldn't have kissed me or held my hand if you didn't, I doubt that was also a teenage impulse." He said, letting her go. Emily sat a healthy distance away and bit her tongue, finding herself in a proverbial corner. She could hardly put up any kind of act before her emotions got the better of her. "I'll give you a chance, Bill." She said with a sigh of defeat, hoping she could keep up her act longer than five minutes. He lit up immediately and smashed his lips to hers. Emily squeezed her eyes shut, trying to hide her repulsion as she returned his affections. He straddled her lap as he deepened the kiss. She shivered when he put his hand on the back of her head, eager for their make out session to end.

He pulled away breathlessly and rested his head on her forehead. "I love you, Emily." He panted. She sat there catching her breath, wondering if she'll ever taste freedom. Bill helped her off the floor and led her to the living room. She sat down on the couch and cringed when he plopped next to her. He cuddled up to her and turned on the TV. Emily sighed when he put on football, but said nothing as she laid her head on his shoulder.


	18. Chapter 18

A sigh startled her out of her daydream. Her head fell back against the wall when she realized it was just her. The past few days had been draining. Emily slowly got to her feet, wincing when the chain shifted. Her ankle did not look good with the deep purple indentions. She limped out of the empty room and into the kitchen. Her goal was to just survive day by day, doing whatever it took. The coffee pot had another cup left, which was still warm. She quietly retrieved a mug from the cupboard and poured herself the last cup, adding cream and sugar.

"There you are!" Bill said as he walked up to her. "Found me." She said as she took a quick sip of the bitter coffee. He gave her an unapproving look. "What?" She asked, already knowing this was over the coffee. "You know what." He said sternly. Emily frowned. "I should take that away from you." He said, reaching toward the mug clutched protectively in both of her hands. Bill placed his hands over hers and took a sip of coffee, making a face as he did so. "If you're going to drink coffee against my wishes, let me at least make you a fresh pot." He said as he got to work prepping the coffee machine. She quietly watched in disbelief.

Bill smiled adoringly at her when he started the coffee machine. She looked down at her feet, worry etched on her tired face. He planted an unwelcome kiss on her forehead. A sigh escaped her lips. "What is it, Emily, love?" Bill asked gently as he loosely wrapped his arms around her. She shook her head and ever so slightly leaned away. "Emily?" He said worriedly as he carefully tilted her face up. "What?" She asked, barely above a whisper. "What's the matter?" He asked as he brushed a finger against her lips. She inhaled sharply and pulled away. "Nothing, other than the obvious." She said, emptying her cup out in preparation for fresh coffee. He frowned, "What's that supposed to mean?" She ignored his question and put sugar in the mug. "My ankle hurts. Can you please take this off?" She pleaded. "You know I can't do that." He said through gritted teeth with a pained expression. "Well you won't have to worry about me running away since an infection is likely to kill me anyway at this rate." She said with a sigh. Bill gave her a pleading look as he bent over to inspect her ankle. "Emily…" He said sadly. He knew it was bad, but tried not to think about it, now there was no denying.

Bill stood with a sigh and kissed her gently. She barely returned the act. "So…?" She asked, pulling away. "I'm going to clean it up, don't try anything." He warned, taking her hand in his. She followed him to the master bathroom. "Sit here." He ordered, his back already to her rifling through the little first aid kit he brought. "I'll be right back, just stay there." He said before rushing off the retrieve the key.

Emily took a shaky breath, trying to clear her head. A quick look around left her disheartened. She tensed when Bill filled her view. Her body language twisted the knife in his heart. He hesitated for a moment before getting right to it. She braced herself for the pain. The sound of the lock opening had her heart pounding in her throat. He carefully unwrapped the chain. She grunted and grit her teeth. His fingers brushed her other leg, causing her to jerk away. "Please, Bill." She whined as she got to her feet.

"You gave me no choice, I'll make it more comfortable for you later. Here, give me your leg, dear." He said, slowly reaching towards her. Panic overcome her as tears flooded down her face. "No!" She screamed, pushing him away. He grabbed her leg and struggled to fasten the chain on it. She screamed as she punched at his head. He managed to get the padlock on, stumbling back away from her volley of weak blows. Emily's stomach dropped when she saw her other leg securely tethered. Fearful eyes flicked over to Bill, who was holding his head. She swallowed thickly, sitting still as a statue, wondering if she managed to get herself killed this time; if she could even come back from this. He rubbed his face and left her there.

Bill blinked away tears, he thought things were going well, it's a good thing he trusted his gut. He poured a glass of water and took some B.C. powder, that was in his wallet, to help with the forming headache. He took a few deep breaths before going back to the bathroom to finish what he started. The look in her eyes when she spotted him twisted the knife even deeper. She looked petrified as she flinched away. He pulled her into a hug and held her, stroking her hair as she cried in his chest.

After a few tense moments he let her go and gently pushed down on her shoulders for her to sit. He got to work gently cleaning her ankle. She hissed when he rubbed disinfectant on the bruised and bloodied raw flesh. Bill securely bandaged her up, hoping it would be fine with time. He packed everything back into the kit and put it back in the medicine cabinet. Emily diverted her eyes to the floor. She put up a fight and here she still was.

"Emily." He said softly. She hesitantly looked up. "Why?" He asked. "Do you really need to ask that?" Her voice cracked. "I know it's bad, but I won't let your other one get the same way…" He said as he offered his hand. She stared at it uncertainly. "I love you." He said desperately. She took his hand and stood, dreading what he might do next. "I love you…" He said again, squeezing her hand affectionately. "…I love you too, Bill." She said in defeat, her voice barely above a whisper.

He led her to the bedroom and prompted her to sit. She complied, afraid he would retaliate after she beat on him. "You're everything to me. My whole world." He said as he sat beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist. Emily whined and dug her fingernails into the tops of her thighs. "What's wrong, my love?" He asked worriedly. "Please…I'm sorry…" She cried. "Its okay, its okay." He said, trying to soothe her. She shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Emily. I guess I kinda deserved it with how bad your ankle is. I never meant for that to happen…" Bill said and planted a kiss on the side of her head.

"Is it always going to be like this?" Emily asked glumly. "Of course not! We'll be busy chasing after the kids, so we should enjoy the time we have now." Bill said dreamily, laying his head atop hers. "That doesn't make any sense, Bill. Enjoy the time we have now until the kids? Makes it sound like this is the only time we'll get to really spend any time together." Emily said, hoping he might listen to her if she spoke about it from his perspective. "Well we'll be a little busier, but this isn't the only time we'll spend together." He said reassuringly. "Science has proved that marital happiness takes a nose dive when kids are introduced to the equation. Are you really ready to throw away our marriage like that?" She asked, her annoyance apparent. "Bullshit, Emily! Now you're just pulling stuff out of your ass!" He snapped. "If only." She sighed. Bill huffed and let go of her hand, glaring at her. "What do you want, me or kids?" Emily asked, clenching her fists. "Both and I will have both!" Bill snarled. Emily rolled her eyes. "I'm just a vessel, aren't I? For you to have a little fun with and then to basically do all the cunt work for, right?" She said with a sigh. "That's not true at all! Where do you come up with this garbage?!" He asked, gesturing wildly with his hands. "Ah yes, my core beliefs, thoughts, and feelings, are just garbage to you." Emily dropped her head into her hands and sighed loudly. "No, Emily, they're just immature. You're only eighteen, you still have some growing to do. You'll realize this is what life is all about soon." Bill said, rubbing the top of her thigh. "I think that's worse…" She said with a sob.

"Oh, Emily, I didn't mean to upset you, dear." Bill said, wrapping an arm around her. She just shook her head. "I was even willing to just settle for you, but that isn't good enough…I'm not good enough for you." She sobbed angrily, the heels of her hands pressed against her eyes. "What? Of course, you're good enough! What the hell made you think you weren't?" He demanded. "Really? All you do is belittle me and my choices. Forcing me into shit I do not want!" She snarled, looking up at him with angry wet eyes. "I don't do that!" Bill snapped defensively. "Yes, you do, you did it not even a few minutes ago." She said, throwing her hands up. "You still have a lot to learn, Emily!" Bill snapped, grabbing her hand. She glared daggers at him. "What the fuck is that suppose to mean, Bill?" She demanded, blood boiling. "Grow up! That's what that means. You're a married woman and married women have children. You're going to help me continue the Dauterive bloodline and give us the joy of raising children!" Bill said, giving her a withering look, squeezing her hand tightly. She winced, pleading him with her eyes. "There are so many women your age with two and three children already! Its natural!" Bill continued, keeping his iron grip steady. "That's so…sad…and pathetic…" She said in disgust. "Why can't you just be normal!?" He shouted, gripping both of her shoulders. "I am normal!" She spat. "Normal women have kids for their husbands, happily." He said irritably. She rolled her eyes.

"Does any of this seem normal to you, Bill." She shouted, wrenching out of his grip. "No, but we're different. I love you and I refuse to lose another wife." He said, pulling her back to him. "God, we're just going to go in circles, aren't we? You're not changing my mind. You can do all this horrible shit to me, but you'll never make me change my mind or make me love your leeches." She spat, her voice laced with venom. He raised his hand, shaking in rage, he took a deep breath. She flinched, shielding her face. He slammed his fist onto the bed and sighed heavily. "I'm not going to hit you." He snarled, pushing her shoulder roughly. "Ow!" She cried. He deflated and pulled her into his arms and cried into her shoulder. "I love you, I hate arguing with you." He sobbed. "I just want you to give our marriage a chance." He continued, holding her tightly. "I am! I told you this is an issue that can't be compromised on! You just won't listen!" She shouted, fuming. "I've always wanted a family! All my friends have one! Its so unfair!" He said bitterly. "Life is unfair." She snapped. "That's right, Emily, life is unfair." He said, implying that she should just give him what he wants. "Oh c'mon!" She shouted.

He dried his eyes with the back of his hand. "I know you're scared, Emily, you don't have to be. I'll be by your side every step of the way." He said with a faltering smile. She shook her head and huffed. "You think I'm some monster, don't you?" He said forlornly. She froze and stared at him. "You do…" He cried. "My own sweet wife thinks I'm a monster! I never meant to hurt you, I love you." He sobbed miserably. "Then take this fucking thing off of me." She snapped. "You know I can't do that. I wish it wasn't necessary, baby, but I can't lose you." He cried, desperately wanting her to return his feelings. "Let me take care of you and our family." He pleaded. "I would give you the chance you want if you would drop the kid thing and take this off, right now." She said in a serious tone, hoping he'd buy her bluff. He shook his head, wailing. Emily distanced herself and tried to hide her disgust. Was this really going to be her life? Death seemed preferable compared to her current predicament.

She suddenly remembered her forgotten coffee. The more distance between them the better. Emily sprinted into the kitchen, quickly pouring coffee in the prepped mug. Hurriedly adding a dash of creamer to her coffee, Bill emerged from the bedroom with bloodshot eyes. She huffed and went into one of the other empty rooms, spilling a little coffee on the way and put her back against the door; knowing Bill would just barge in and continue to suffocate her with his overbearing presence. "Emily!" He called desperately, banging on the door. "Can I have a little privacy please?" She asked, not bothering to hide her annoyance. "From your husband?" He asked in disbelief. "Who else is here, Bill?" She snapped sarcastically.

"But I need you." He whined. "Well you can wait a few minutes then." She said, taking a sip of coffee. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was getting to be too much. It was already too much. She took a sip and wrinkled her nose, it was much too sweet. Emily took another drink only to be disappointed further. She shook her head, blood boiling. His presence right on the other side fueled her rage. He whimpered but said nothing. She growled and hurled the full mug of coffee against the wall. It shattered as a trail of coffee splashed onto the wall and floor. "Emily?!" Bill shouted worriedly. "Open the door!" He grunted as he tried to force it open. "What was that sound? Emily!" He continued, pounding on the door.

"Do you ever shut the fuck up, Bill?" She snarled, planted firmly against the door. "I give you everything and this is how you treat me?" His voice cracked. "I never asked for any of this, asshat." She growled through clenched teeth. "You're such an ungrateful brat!" Bill spat tearfully. "Yup, definitely." She rolled her eyes. "So ungrateful for being raped nearly every single day, marrying you against my will, and literally chained to the floor. You got me there, Bill. I'm one ungrateful cunt." She continued, her voice laced in sarcasm. "I'm not a rapist!" He shouted defensively, punching the door, startling her on the other side. "You definitely are." She snapped. "That's what you think of me?" He said in horror. "There's no think about it, you are." Emily spat. She rolled her eyes when he broke down sobbing. "What are you crying for? I'm the one that should be crying." She snarled, glaring daggers at the window. Bill crumpled to the floor, sobbing inconsolably. "But I love you!" He whined, pawing at her under the door. She stood and put her back against the door, ignoring him the best she could. "Just go away!" She screamed in rage. He just sobbed louder.

Emily hastily wiped away tears that were threatening to spill. Admonishing herself for making life even harder. Upset that she couldn't act even though her life depended on it. This certainly wasn't the be all end all of life. It was just another lifestyle choice, one she had been forced into kicking and screaming. It was hard to hold onto hope when it was diminishing by the day. Maybe just accepting it would be easier and escape possible one day? Accepting it would be near impossible, he made her gag and it wasn't just his looks that made her feel that way. She wasn't shallow, she just didn't want to be with him, he's disgusting. Still, here she was, inciting yet another argument, making life even more difficult. She just needed to slow down and wait for more opportunities to present themselves. Emily sighed heavily, slamming her fist against the door. Bill's fingers under the door caught her attention, she slammed her heel down on them, smirking in satisfaction when he yelped.

Bill cradled his hand and leaned against the wall. She sure was mad. He couldn't think of what he did to deserve this kind of treatment. She might as well have run his heart through a wood chipper. Maybe she was nearing that time of month? Even then that was no way to treat her husband. He shook his head and decided to give her the alone time she apparently needed desperately. Bill grabbed a beer out of the fridge and held it with his aching hand. The coolness helping only somewhat. He didn't know how much more he could take. This marriage was supposed to be the one he always deserved. His wife thinks he some evil monster. He snorted and took a sip of his beer. Unable to help feeling bitter. Didn't she understand that he wasn't getting any younger; that he had waited so long for her to come into his life? Bill wanted more than a pretend loving partner. He doubted she would love him even if he did decide to forgo having children, which he really didn't want to do.

Would things have turned out differently if he let things develop naturally? There was no way of knowing now. There had to be a way to get her to fall in love with him. He paced back and forth on the front porch in deep thought. Flowers could be a good starter with more romance instead of whining and begging. Getting that chain off would be a big one, but then she could just run off. How could he keep her here without keeping her chained? Wireless fence for dogs? That could work… Worth a try anyway. He went to take another sip of beer when he noticed it was empty. "Damn." He muttered.

Emily pulled herself together. She was going to give it a shot and hope that would make things more bearable somehow. Like that would happen, she rolled her eyes. It had been quiet out there for a little bit. She wondered if he was still there. Cracking open the door, she peered out, the coast seemed to be clear. She opened the door fully and took a tentative step out. He was nowhere in sight. What was he up to? Was he still here? The chain rattled behind her as she made her way to the kitchen to make another cup of coffee. "Man, this thing stays on forever." She thought out loud. Emily got to work putting another cup together, making sure it was just right this time. She made it too sweet last time when Bill was distracting her.

She took a sip and closed her eyes. 'Finally.' The mess in the spare room nagged at her. With a sigh she found some paper towels and took her coffee with her. This was her life for now, not forever. She would be free one day. Free of him. She got to work cleaning up the mess, disappointed that there wasn't a useful piece of ceramic she could stab him with.

Bill headed back inside, hoping he could reason with her. To his surprise he saw the door wide open and her on the floor cleaning up. She looked up at him and forced a weak smile. "I'm sorry, Emily." He said, as he knelt to help her. She continued, finishing up. He tilted her chin up carefully, forcing her to look up at him. Her heart hammered in her chest. "Let me make it up to you, I'll be a good husband." He said, staring intently into her eyes. She quashed down any protest and swallowed her dignity. "Sure." She whispered, shaking with emotion. He pressed his lips to her quivering ones, caressing her jaw with his thumb.

He reluctantly pulled away and collected all the used paper towels off the floor. "Thank you." She whispered, getting to her feet. He went to throw the mess away. She followed behind, a few steps away, unsure of what to do with herself. Bill faced her and pulled her into his chest. She stiffly wrapped her arms around him. Bill stroked her back gently, planting kisses to the top of her head. "I love you with all my heart, Emily." He said adoringly. She sighed and placed a hand on his cheek briefly. He bent his head to kiss her again, she reluctantly met him halfway, not wanting to taste the beer on his tongue again.

She moaned into the kiss, caught off guard from the pleasure of it, which excited him further. It shouldn't feel so good or excite her the way it was. She pulled away and stared at the floor, disgusted with herself. After all the shit she endured, this is not how that should make her feel! "what's wrong?" Bill asked, closing the gap between them. She shook her head and held her tongue. This was all wrong. "Hey." He said softly, caressing her cheek. His erection brushed her hip, sending tingles down her spine, making her stomach churn. She figured it would be better to just get it over with, breaking under his lustful gaze.

He attacked her lips hungrily, tangling a hand in her hair and caressing her with the other. She took the assault, unsure of what to do. Bill left her gasping for breath as he trailed slow kisses on the side of her neck. She just stood there, fighting herself. Loud moans escaped her lips when he sucked on a particularly sensitive spot on her neck. She gripped his sides to hold herself up. He rubbed his erection against her groin as he massaged one of her breasts. Tears stained her flushed cheeks. She hated that she wanted this so bad. "Please." She said breathlessly. He picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. He laid her on the bed, instantly laying beside her.

He slipped a hand between her legs, getting back to work. She cried out in pleasure, arching her back. "Oh, god…" She whispered. Taking that as a good sign, he licked her nipple, sending shivers down her spine. He kept it up until she tensed up in an orgasm. He smashed his lips to hers as she squirmed under his hand. She gasped for breath, trying to push him away.

Bill positioned himself between her legs, pleasantly surprised at her lack of resistance. "Could you pull out this time?" She asked breathlessly beneath him. He grunted in response as he pushed inside her. He moaned, putting her legs over his shoulders. She gripped the sides of his thighs, moaning into his kiss as he pounded into her, the chain rattling annoyingly. His sweat creating a slick layer between them. He didn't last long and blew his load deep in her. Emily laid there for a moment catching her breath as he panted next to her face. "Why'd you stop?" She asked huskily. He planted slobbery kisses on her face before resting his forehead on hers. "You didn't pull out." She deadpanned. He smiled at her sheepishly. "It snuck up on me." He said breathlessly. "You're an asshole." She huffed, the after glow wearing off quickly, disgust taking its place.

"I love you, Emily." He said as he pulled out gently. She swallowed the rising bile in her throat. Bill caressed her cheek lovingly. "Just get off me." She said bitterly, queasy. What was wrong with her? She shouldn't have enjoyed that or let it happen so easily. Sobs racked through her body. Bill stared at her in confusion. "What's wrong?" He asked as he was wiping himself off. "THIS!" She whined, gesturing wildly with her arms. "This shouldn't have…I shouldn't have…" She trailed off, her voice cracking. "Shouldn't have what?" He asked, afraid of where she was going. "It shouldn't feel so good." She whispered. He handed her the pair of boxers he used to clean himself up with. She took it and cleaned up with shaking hands. "Of course, it should, that's how It's supposed to be. You didn't do anything wrong, Emily." Bill said softly, settling in beside her.

"I feel sick." She cried as she hugged herself tightly. He pulled her into his arms, worsening her queasy stomach. "I feel so used." She whispered. He held her tightly, kissing her cheek. What was wrong with her? She shouldn't have enjoyed that. She hated that she did. "Oh god, let me up!" She barked as she rolled out of his arms and rushed to the bathroom. Emily barely made it in time to the toilet as she vomited. He got up and grabbed her a glass of water. She gladly took it, taking a few sips before throwing the water back up. "I fucking hate myself." She cried. Bill knelt beside her and wiped her face off gently. She hesitantly took a few sips of water, her throat burned. He felt her forehead with the back of his hand, her temperature seemed normal. He wondered what made her sick so suddenly. She dry heaved when he put his hot hand on her back. "Don't do that." She said weakly, recoiling from him. He hesitantly pulled his hand away and stared at her at a loss.

"What happened?" He asked softly, scared of her answer. "I don't feel so good. Just give me some space." She pleaded, her head in the toilet. His heart sank seeing her like this. Especially when they were in the throws of ecstasy mere minutes ago. He was pretty sure it wasn't some extreme form of morning sickness. He hoped it wasn't what he was thought it was. "I disgust you, don't I?" He asked, already choking up. Emily turned her head and clenched her jaw, digging her nails into her palms. "Just give me some space." She grunted, her stomach violent.

Bill did as she asked and sat on the bed, distraught, watching her from the bedroom. He hoped he didn't sicken her. She seemed so into it which confused him. A heavy sigh caught his attention. He hated seeing her like this. The longer he just watched the more he figured it was the sex that upset her so much. He got up and went to her side once again. "Was is the love we made that has you so upset?" He asked, dreading her answer. She just looked at him miserably. "What about it made you so…this?" He asked as he brushed the sweat soaked hair away from her face. "Its all wrong. Even you know this deep down…or at least you should. Its not suppose to be like that for someone in my predicament…" She said hoarsely.

"It's supposed to be that way, Emily. It's supposed to feel good, especially if its with someone you're in love with." Bill said, struggling to keep himself together. "You couldn't even be bothered to pull out, fuck you." She snapped tearfully. "It really did sneak up on me." He said sheepishly. "So you just said to hell with it and blew your whole load in me?!" She snapped angrily. He shrugged with a sigh. "And to think I actually…" She dry heaved. Sickened she enjoyed sex with him this time, that it could even feel so good like that. "You're suppose to like it. Its no good when you don't." He said as he placed a comforting hand on her back. "Funny coming from you." She spat acidly. He sighed heavily, her hurtful words rang true, his heart ached. "Come to bed when you feel like it. I'll give you some space." He said dejectedly. She noted his crushed expression before he went to bed, frowning when he didn't shut the door.

She picked herself up off the floor after a while and finished the glass of water before crawling into bed with him. Bill made room for her, hesitating to cuddle up to her, afraid to upset her further. She shuddered, mentally building herself up to cuddle with him. Bill was pleasantly surprised when she laced her fingers with his. He pulled her to him, her back to his chest. "I love you, Emily." He whispered and kissed the back of her head. She didn't respond to him. He sighed and gave her an affectionate squeeze. Tonight would have been perfect if it weren't for the last half hour, he mused. "It'll get better. Goodnight, my love." He said tiredly.

She laid there for seemed like hours, his steady snores becoming more like white noise. Why did she even feel that way during? Emily couldn't wrap her head around why she and her body acted that way. She hated how it felt so good, how she didn't want him to stop. What the hell was wrong with her? This is what got her in trouble in the first place. She just couldn't fucking stop herself. Maybe she deserved this after all. She squeezed her eyes shut. No, no one deserves this. Maybe she could make the best of it until she could get away? It would probably involve more sex, she surmised. That's the last thing she wanted. At this rate she would end up with a soul sucking parasite.

Emily cried bitterly, she had no one, but Bill. He was the only person she's been around for weeks now. It was probably on purpose. She was going stir crazy. Even if she did get away, what then? She had no one she could turn to, no where to go, no money. Would she even want to try carving a life for herself after this? Always alone, afraid someone else would try to keep her forever, locked away in some basement or house. Her life was ruined from the start. She wasn't going to get hired, she was just some stupid weird girl who had barely any experience outside of her parents, and now this. She sniffled and rolled onto her back. What should she do? How could those idiots not see she was drugged at the wedding? Either they were fucking blind or in on it. Her face twisted in rage.

She carefully got up and padded into the kitchen, the chain rattling loud enough to wake the dead. Emily paced back and forth, balling her fists. She pulled her hair in frustration. The stove caught her eye. With a turn of a knob, the burner glowed bright orange rather quickly. She put the roll of paper towels on it and watched it catch ablaze. Her eyes gleamed wickedly as she ripped the curtains down and added them to the pile. The smoke burned her nose. She jumped when the smoke alarms blared. The fire grew bigger. Bill ran into the kitchen and shoved her out of the way to grab the fire extinguisher under the sink. He quickly put out the fire and opened the windows. Bill got to work resetting the smoke detectors. Emily sat at the table and laid her head on her arms, foiled yet again.

Once he was finished with that he found her at the kitchen table. "What the hell, Emily?!" He demanded. She ignored him and stared at the wall. "Emily!" He snapped, slamming his hand down on the table to get her attention. She jolted up and glared at him. "What were you trying to do?" He asked firmly. "Burn the house down obviously." She spat defiantly, rolling her eyes. "You could have killed us!" He said sternly as he took a seat next to her. "You could have just run outside you know." She snapped. "And let you burn with the house?" He asked, making sure he heard her right. "Duh." She spat venomously. "You wouldn't feel that way if you were to catch on fire." He said, staring at her worriedly. "You don't know what I feel!" She snarled, slammed her fists on the table.

"What's gotten into you?" He asked, his brows furrowed. "Not one of your parasites hopefully." She snarled acidly. He clenched his jaw, the vein on his forehead popping out a little. "You could have died, you know that right?" He asked sternly, watching her intently. "That was the point." She spat. He looked at the mess on the stove and sighed heavily, rubbing his face. "Get up." He ordered her, pulling her up by her upper arm. He dragged her back to the bedroom. "Do you have to go to the bathroom?" He asked irritably. She turned and stomped into the bathroom. He stood in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. "Are you seriously going to watch?" She snapped in disbelief. "Yes, I don't trust to not hurt yourself right now. So, go." He said tiredly. "Perv." She spat and did her business. He shook his head tiredly.

Once she was done he led her by the arm to the bed. He forced her onto the bed and pulled a pair of hand cuffs out of the night stand. She began to protest violently. He straddled her chest, making her painfully aware of his junk on her chest, distracting her just enough to cuff her to the headboard. "There, now just try to get some sleep." He said looking down at her before getting off her. She screamed bloody murder, kicking and flopping around. He sighed and rolled over, knowing it was going to be a long night, hoping she would be calm in the morning. Bill couldn't fathom why she would do something like that, why she would want to hurt herself like that. Unable to sleep with all of her screaming he got up to clean up the mess in the kitchen.

Sure, she fought him every step of the way, but this was getting out of hand. He feared she might act like this towards their future children. Times like these was why he moved out here. Her screams continued to pierce his ears. He hated hearing her scream like that, it broke his heart for her to be in so much pain. He promised he would take care of her and that is what he was going to do. He inspected the stove and the immediate area around it. There didn't seem to be too much damage, mostly cosmetic, which was fixable, but the curtains were ruined. He shook his head again. He took another beer from the fridge and leaned against the counter, trying to figure what he was going to do now. He shook his head and sighed.


	19. Chapter 19

"You have to eat, Emily." Bill sighed irritably. She turned her head and kept ignoring him. Yesterday still fresh in her mind. He forcibly turned her head to him. She glared hatefully at him and spat in his face. Bill clenched his jaw and wiped his face off with a napkin. "Ugh, you're such a brat!" He snapped, shoving a forkful of eggs in her face. She shook her head defiantly, wanting to just starve to death at the moment. "C'mon, Emily." He begged in frustration. "They're cold." She hissed. "Well they wouldn't be cold if you would have just eaten them!" Bill said, trying to get her to open her mouth. She rolled her eyes and pulled hard against the cuffs again, her arms painfully stiff, her wrists aching. "You're just making it worse for yourself." He sighed resignedly. "Then take them off." She demanded. "Not after last night." He said firmly. She growled, if looks could kill.

Bill took another swig of his beer before trying again. "Please eat!" He begged. She relented and opened her mouth. He carefully put the fork in her mouth. She wrinkled her nose in disgust. The eggs were like slimey ice in her mouth. She managed to swallow the gross eggs. He offered her another bite, which she accepted. "See? They're good." He said, lightening up. She nodded her head, a mischievous gleam in her eye. She took another bite, chewed a little, then spat them back out in his face. He stared at her in momentary disbelief, noting the wicked smirk on her face. "You want to act like a child, then you will be treated like one." He said sternly, collecting her breakfast from the bed to take to the kitchen.

Emily's smirk fell when she spotted the belt in his hands upon his return. "Hey now, let's talk about this." She said nervously. Bill ignored her and turned her hips to the side, stepping on the chain to keep her in place. "Please don't!" She begged, nearly hyperventilating. He brought the belt down over her backside, eliciting a pained scream from her. Emily cried, trying to stammer out an apology. He gave her a few more licks, leaving red welts on her pale flesh each time, for good measure. Bill sat on the edge of the bed beside her. She screamed for help, her throat burning. He sighed heavily. "No one is coming." He huffed. He struck a nerve, she sobbed, was there no getting out? His hand on her thigh made her skin crawl. "What would you do without me? You don't have anyone other than me, no money, nowhere to go. I love you. I don't want you to have to struggle to make ends meet while some ungrateful boy takes you for granted, uses you and then throws you away like you were nothing." Bill said, clenching his fists. "Does this look like love to you, fat ass?" She whispered acidly. "I'm all you have, you should treat me better." He snapped.

"Please take the fucking hand cuffs off." She croaked. "I can't, I don't want you hurting yourself, or me." He said with a sigh. She rolled her eyes. "Talk to me, why did you do that last night?" He asked gently, stroking her side affectionately. "I told you, I was trying to burn the house down." She said, a rasp in her throat. "Why?" He asked in concern. "I want to die." She hissed. "You'd rather die than be…with me?" He asked, tearing up. "If that's how you want to take it. I just don't want to live anymore." She sighed. "But why?" He cried. She simply shrugged, still angry from being spanked.

"Probably a bad time, but I really need to use the bathroom." She informed him. "Number one or two?" He asked impatiently with tears welling up. "Just let me go to the bathroom!" She screeched. "I'm not letting you up, so which is it?" He asked, a hand on his hip. "I have to pee." She said nervously, filled with dread. Bill grabbed a T-shirt, wadded it up in a ball and shoved it between her legs. "You're kidding?" She asked, her heart pounding. He put a folded towel under her. "Go." He softly commanded. Tears of humiliation leaked down her face as she tried to relax enough to go. She closed her eyes and forced herself to go, hating the warm wetness against her. "Better?" He asked lovingly. Her skin crawled, she wanted to step out of her own body. She barely nodded, filled with shame. "Wow, you really had to go." He said in surprise as he removed the soiled cloth from between her legs. She turned her head, not wanting to be seen.

Bill rung out the shirt and towel in the sink before throwing them in the washer. If this is what he had to do to make sure she was safe, then so be it. He would make sure his little princess was well cared for. With a heavy sigh he fetched a cold beer from the fridge before returning to Emily. Guilt and pity trickled through him as he stood in doorway watching her cry her eyes out. Bill placed a comforting hand on her stomach. He gulped some of the beer before cleaning her up.

"Get away from me!" She screamed, kicking at him wildly, the chain whipping around lashing her legs. He grunted when she landed a blow to his side as he was backing away. "Its okay, calm down!" Bill shouted over her screams, still clutching his side. Emily cried hysterically as she fought against her restraints, blood streamed down her forearms. "Emily!" He shouted, trying to get her attention. She continued her frenzied panic. Noticing she was only hurting herself worse, Bill grabbed the chain and pulled her leg straight, eliciting more screams from her. He managed to straddle her thighs after a few tense moments. He leaned down a few inches from her face. "Emily, its alright, its okay." He said softly, rubbing his thumb on her wet cheek. She started at him with wide panicked bloodshot eyes. "Shhh, it's okay." He said quietly, trying to soothe her.

She quieted down to a whimper, watching him fearfully. He stroked her matted hair and smiled lovingly. Sobs racked through her body, her arms hung limp, knots formed in her stomach. "Goddamn it, Bill." She whined, pressing herself to the mattress. "Don't take the Lord's name in vain, Emily." Bill warned sternly. "S-sorry." She squeaked, shaking like a leaf. This was a small reminder of why she couldn't stand religion. He pets her hair gently to try to calm her, though it was having the opposite effect.

"We need to start going to church soon." Bill said suddenly with a sigh. Emily stared up at him uncertainly. She should be leaping with joy with such an opportunity but being church she wasn't so sure they would believe her or even help her. "Uh…sounds nice." She said, feigning a small faltering smile. Bill beamed then kissed her excitedly. "I was afraid you would object." He said in relief. She chuckled nervously. "I found the perfect church. I can't wait to show you off." He said adoringly, pinching her cheek. "Am I going to be handcuffed to you the whole time?" She asked sarcastically. "That's not a bad idea. I was worried about you running off anyway." Bill said, his forehead pressed to hers. "You're kidding right? You can't show up to church handcuffed to me. They'll think we're into bondage or something." Emily said in disbelief, wondering how stable Bill really is. "I've emailed the pastor's assistant who is sympathetic to our situation." He said with a smile as he placed a burning palm to her cheek. Emily flinched away.

"So, you're saying that this guy knows everything about us?" She asked skeptically. "Yes, he said it would be good for us to forgive each other and that we were welcome to come." Bill said, getting drunk off her scent. "Figures." Emily snorted. "Unless you're making this up, then of course that's what some pastor would say. Forgive each other, pfft." She spat angrily. "I'm not making this up, Emily. He also said that we should work on strengthening our marriage and a little counseling wouldn't hurt." Bill said caressing her throat. She swallowed thickly. Doubt crept in, she was sure she wouldn't find help there if what Bill said was true. It would be stupid to walk in a church handcuffed together, at least without any warning… "What the fuck kind of church is okay with this shit?!" Emily shouted in utter disbelief.


	20. Chapter 20

The days blurred into weeks. How long had she been here now? She writhed in her binds. Sunday had passed yet here she still was. Still chained to the bed since she started that fire. It was torturous to be stuck in the exact same spot and position day in and day out. Her body ached. She took to digging her nails into her palms and picking at the sides of her nails until she bled. The lack of stimulation was almost worse than the forced interactions with Bill. She wished the fire had swallowed her up.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared past the ceiling. She tried to think about what she would do with her life if she ever made it free. How she would go to New York and work as a barista and some other job in retail to just make ends meet in a closet of an apartment. But it would be okay since she could have a cup or two of coffee from her job and she could walk around the parks with said coffee after work or on the way to her next job. She would of course save little goodies she could for any stray dogs, at least she thought she would. The dream of escaping seemed to slip further and further away.

It wasn't all hopeless, one day she would be free one way or another. It just seemed she had to play the long game, she reminded herself the millionth time. A few minutes later she broke down again. Ever since the fire incident Bill seemed a little colder, it was like he was punishing her for trying to escape by dying. She withdrew into her head more, living an imaginary life in her head about being a barista and sneaking a fluffy corgi into her apartment, and complaining about the lack of space to said corgi. Emily barely spoke much after him mentioning the church thing. She waited anxiously for a while, cooking up many escape plans until she gave up that they would go this church. He had been gone a lot lately, he mentioned church a lot and how he met some new friends, however, Bill hadn't made a move to let her out of bed for weeks.

Emily came back to reality, focusing her eyes and taking in the dusty room. There would be no perfect opportunity and trying might mean dying. But the endless waiting wasn't getting her anywhere. Would dying be worse then living the rest of her life like this? Her muscles atrophied some from being bed bound. She would have to build up strength and bide her time for a little longer. If she couldn't escape, then they were both dying.

A/N: I haven't really had the time or muse to write for awhile now, but I'm hoping to update more frequently until the story is finished.


	21. Chapter 21

Emily stared at Bill, who was sitting at the foot of the bed. The air was tense. She sighed, steeling herself. "Bill, please let me out of bed. I've learned my lesson." She asked softly, watching him intently. He studied her for a moment, uncertain. Bill was getting tired keeping her bed ridden. "No." He said, barely above a whisper. "Please!" She tried again. "I don't trust you." Bill rubbed his face tiredly. "I know, but I've had a lot of time to think. And I'm ready to truly give this a go." She tried to hide the desperation in her voice. "You've lied about giving me and our marriage a chance countless time. I-I want to believe you…" He trailed off. "You don't plan on keeping me here for the rest of our lives do you?" She asked, biting her lip. Bill looked away. Emily's heart leapt into her throat, worried that all her waffling fucked her over. If only she had just let him blow out his brains, then none of this nightmare would have happened. "Goddamn Bill give me a fucking chance to give you a proper chance!" She snapped, glaring at him.

"There it is, this is just an act too." He said bitterly, throwing his hands up. "It's not! I want to give you a real chance. All the-the tender care you've given me while keeping me in this bed, our bed, shows me how much you care. I know you've got to be tired of bathroom duty and hand feeding me by now. I see it in your expressions, you're more distant. Please, Bill, give me a chance." Emily's voice cracked as tears threatened to fall. Bill stared at her with a pained expression. "I've…I've started to fall for you, Bill. I want to be able to take care of myself and…and…and our…kids. But I can't do that chained to our bed." She continued, scared she was getting nowhere. "Our kids?" Bill snorted. "I know you're lying now." He growled, getting up. "I'm allowed to change my mind!" She squeaked, on the verge of panicking. He glared at her. "Do you enjoy toying with my heart?" He snarled, stepping closer.

The dam broke, tears streamed down her face. "I-I…you've changed my mind, I love you, I want to build a life and family with you, Bill." She sobbed miserably. He gave her a dubious look. "Remember our wedding day? When you burned my hand and tried to strangle me?" He growled, trying to keep his righteous indignation. "I'm sorry!" She cried. "Or when you made that little joke?" He growled through clenched teeth. "It was cruel, and I take it back! Please give me a chance to prove it to you!" She pleaded, digging her long nails into her palms. "Then what was last night?" He pressed, unhappy with how she kept dry heaving afterward. "I can't make proper love to you tied up like this. I feel like I'm just a wet hole to you some days…" She cried bitterly. 'Just untie me already!' Emily screamed mentally.

Bill was taken back, his face softening as he wiped some of her tears away. "Do you really want to give me a chance? You've lied so much, I'm scared to believe you." He said, his voice barely audible. "Yes, I want to give you a chance!" Emily said, her hopes rising. Bill leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, she eagerly kissed him back, trying to sell him on letting her up. He pulled away and rested his forehead on hers, nuzzling her nose with his. "Please." She pleaded, her voice a whisper. Bill nodded his head against hers. "Y-yes?" She perked up, her heart hammering in her chest. "Yes." He whispered. Emily smiled in relief. It was the first genuine smile she had since she met him, it didn't go unnoticed.

Bill pulled a key out of the nightstand and giddily unlocked the handcuffs. Emily laid her heavy arms in her lap, her strength alarmingly diminished. Time will only help this. She struggled to get to her feet, crumpling to the floor instead. Mild annoyance replaced her despair when Bill hadn't tried to catch her. "Thanks." She muttered and rolled her eyes at the floor. Bill picked her up and sat her on the bed. Emily didn't hide her annoyed look. "You'll get your strength back soon, sweetheart." He tried to reassure her, kissing her cheek.

Emily forced her expression to soften and laid her head on his shoulder, relieved to finally be able to move around again, as much as she could now anyway. Now the hard part, finding the key…She looked at her feet, it was gone! How had she not noticed?! "When did you take the chain off?" She asked, still surprised. Bill gave her a startled look and shot to his feet. 'Shit!' She thought in a panic. "Bill, wait!" she pathetically reached for him. He came back with the chain and padlock. Emily struggled to move away from him. "Wait, you don't have to do that! I won't run away…not like I can right now anyway…but still, I'm not running." She pleaded shrilly.

Bill hesitated, conflicted about what to do. The chain clattered to the floor, he pulled her into a crushing embrace, sobbing into the crook of her neck. Emily glared at the wall, now it was a waiting game as she gained strength and resources. He pulled away and kissed her. She returned his fervor and weakly held a palm to his cheek. Bill deepened the kiss as he crawled between her legs. She moaned when he parted her lips, hoping she was putting on a convincing show. Bill eased into her, eliciting a hiss from her. He froze and gave her a pained look. "Its okay, just keep going." Emily said through grit teeth. He hesitated before continuing. A moan escaped her lips when he hit a particular spot. "Go back to what you were doing a second ago." She panted. "This?" He grunted as he did as asked. "Yea." She moaned, feeling seasick as she weakly held on to him. His sweat dropped down on her chest and face. She wiped it away, trying to not show her disgust. He quickened his pace, letting out ragged moans. "Faster." She hissed through grit teeth, knowing that would make it end quicker. Bill finished and laid beside her.

She shivered from the sudden temperature change, soaked in his sweat. "I need a shower." She muttered as he panted in her face. "Isn't it great, being in love finally." He said breathlessly. "Mhmm." She mustered, trying to stifle the internal screaming. This time she was keeping the act up with an extra dose of sweetness. She rolled her eyes at the ceiling when she was sure he wasn't looking.


	22. Chapter 22

Five long weeks passed as Emily regained strength. She made good on her acting. Bill seemed happier and was unfortunately more affectionate.

"Hey Bill, can you show me how to drive?" She asked suddenly. He gave her a long skeptical look before answering, "Maybe sometime." "What about a ride then? I'm going stir crazy." She said as she folded another shirt. "After the game." Bill said, giving her shoulder a squeeze. Emily sighed heavily.

"What is it, love?" He asked softly. Emily held her tongue as she angrily folded his pants. "Nothing." She forced out. "I can tell it's something." He pressed. "Folding your clothes while you just sit there is very...frustrating." She huffed. "Its really kind of you, Emily." He said after a few awkward seconds. "Would you mind helping me finish up?" She asked, a bite to her voice. He glanced at the clock and gave her a sheepish look as he slinked towards the living room. "Sorry, the game is coming on." He said halfway out the door.

She scowled at his retreating form, mocking his earlier words of helping her and what not. She knew it was just lip service. She deflated and sat on the bed. She wanted to be free of him more than anything, but doubt crept in. Would she make it on her own? He kept feeding her doubt on how hard it is now days to establish oneself all alone. Tears streamed down her face. She was losing hope. Surely her parents would take her back in?

Emily wiped her tears away and laid back on the bed. She needed to figure out where they were and get to her parents or have them come to her. Where did Bill keep his phone? He was so secretive about it. A shout startled her. It was just Bill yelling at the tv. She frowned.

Emily looked out the window, it was a pretty day. She got up and opened it, a hot breeze blew in her face. She glanced back at the doorway before climbing out the window as quietly as she could. She began walking toward the dirt road, regretting not wearing any shoes. She wasn't sure what she was doing, if she was escaping or if she was going to return for now.

It had been a very long time since she had been outside. Emily missed it dearly. Bill could finish his own laundry she thought as she kicked at the warm dirt. She wondered if she should be back before his game was over so he wouldn't freak out and put the chain back on. It was way too far to walk and she didn't trust strangers. She wasn't even sure the police would believe her story if she got someone to call for her.

The further she got the more free she felt. Just by herself. She realized instead of moving to the city, she'd rather live alone in the woods somewhere and grow and raise most of her own food. That way she wouldn't have to see or deal with people anymore. Being with Bill made her crave to be alone 24/7. If she could just kick him out somehow and keep the house then she'd have her wish. Hell she could just bury him under a garden. His corpse would make great fertilizer. She let out a small laugh. Even better if he just died of a heart attack or something. Then she could just be all by herself finally.

She couldn't stand his slobbish ways. He put it all on her. Its not like he had a job or anything. It just added insult to injury. She truly was a slave. Emily knew she needed to do something but she just kept on walking in a numb haze. Part of her didnt really care anymore. She hadn't brushed her hair in a week and only ate when he forced her to.

She came upon a large patch of wildflowers and laid down in them. A small sense of safety washed over her now that she was sort of hidden. She plucked one and twirled it around in her fingers, reveling in the quiet.


	23. Chapter 23

Bill went to check on Emily when the half time came on. To his horror she wasn't there and the window was open. His stomach dropped. "Emily?" He called desperately. "Emily!" He shouted louder. He ran throughout the house looking for her, opening cabinets and closets. He blinked away tears and grabbed his car keys and gun. He saw some foot prints going towards the road. His heart leapt into his throat. He dove into the car and took off, scanning the scenery. She couldn't have gotten far, he tried to reassure himself. He cursed, of course it had all been an act! How was he so blind?

The minutes ticked by slowly as he scanned the overgrown grass and flowers on the sides of the road. He hoped she didn't make it to the main road yet. She would be gone then. What if she got picked up by some unsavory strangers and murdered? He shook his head, that wasn't going to help find her right now. He gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles white.

Emily barely poked her head up when she heard a car in the distance. She squinted and flattened herself to the ground, trying to covertly cover herself with the tall flowers and grass. Of course it was Bill of all people. She should had focused on escaping and getting to the police. She cursed her stupidity. Emily struggled to keep her composure. If he got his hands on her there would be no more chances. Her heart beat wildly, making it hard to hear. The car rolled to a stop. Just keep driving. Just keep driving. She pleaded silently over and over. Tears blurred her vision. She clenched her jaw and steadied her breath when she heard the door open.

"Emily?" Bill called in a desperate panic. "Come to me baby! Please!" He pleaded, scanning the vegetation. He spotted a few fresh footprints and jogged to them. He squat down and studied them. He followed them a little past where Emily was hiding. He put his hands on his head and fell to his knees sobbing. "Please come back to me." He sobbed in defeat. "Emily!" He cried, falling onto his side and curling up.

Emily cried silently. He was mere feet away from her. She squeezed her eyes shut and focused on keeping her composure. A few ants stung her leg. She carefully brushed them off, Bill was too distraught to notice any minute movement. An idea struck her. If she could sneak her way into the car and take off then she might finally be free. How could she do that without being noticed? It was too risky. She considered waiting him out instead.

"Why did you leave me?" He sobbed bitterly. If he kept that up he might not notice her. She very slowly and quietly as possible inched her way back the way she came some while carefully rolling onto her stomach, which was in knots. Emily braced herself and emerged from the grass and crept around the the car. She dove in and slammed the door shut, locking it. Nearly hyperventilating she scrambled to put it in drive. It wouldn't budge. She yelled on frustration, putting her foot on the brake, which allowed her to change gears.

The door slamming startled Bill out of his stupor. He sprang to his feet and saw it was Emily! He saw her yanking on the gear stick and his heart sank.

She managed it to shift in to drive and floored it, fishtailing on the dirt road. She panic and overcorrected, crashing into a telephone pole. The air bag deployed, and smashed her face, cushioning some of the crash since she didn't put the seatbelt on. She slumped forward onto the steering wheel when the airbag deflated, her face bloodied. She fought to stay conscious. Bill caught up and ripped on the door handle, yelling at her to open up. She wasn't moving. He feared the worst and started punching the passenger window behind her. She stirred and looked around in a daze, her hearing dampened except for her pounding heart. She remembered she was trying to make a break for it.

Emily sluggishly put the car in reverse and nearly floored it, and then slammed on the brakes before putting it back in drive and attempting to drive off again, running over Bill's foot in the process. He watched in horror as the sand whipped the car around. He hobbled forward, unsure of how to stop her before she hurt herself worse or escaped. He pulled out his gun and shot at the tires. After a few shots, he finally got one tire.

Emily screamed in terror when she heard the bullets hitting the car. He was going to kill her! She ducked down and kept going, not having much control over the car. The back tire popped, causing her to lose a lot of traction. "God, if you're really out there, please fucking help me!" She cried, giving it more gas. More shots rang out, one pierced the back window, whizzing by and going into the dash. She yanked the steering wheel too far in her panic and ran off the shoulder. She tried to keep going but he managed to get another tire and she was stuck.

"FUCK!" She screamed angrily. Emily steeled herself and threw open the door. She clamored out and made a run for it. Her head spun as blood ran into her eyes. "Emily stop!" Bill shouted, as he was catching up.

She turned to look back and stumbled. Emily kept her footing and continued to run. Another shot rang out. She didnt know she was hit until an intense burning sensation came from her arm. A mangled scream tore out of her throat.

Bill cursed when he accidently shot her. He only meant to scare her. He huffed and puffed after her. Losing steam as his lungs burned. He noticed she was slowing down as well.

Emily held her bleeding arm and trudged on. She was losing energy and felt faint. If she dies, she'll at least die a free woman, she thought miserably. Blood covered her arm and dripped from the tips of her fingers. A halo of glass was tangled in her hair. Her face was already bruising and bloodied. Her eyes burned from the blood running into them, shrouding her vision in a blurred red. "I don't want to die today." She cried. As she slowed to a walk from the shock and blood loss.

Bill caught up to her and wrapped his arms around her. She struggled weakly, screaming and crying. He fought to breathe with his burning lungs. Emily gave up and hung in his arms. She didn't have the energy to struggle. "You shot me." She managed to say. Bill's eyes widened in alarm and over the best he could. Her arm was bleeding profusely. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!" He cried.

He let go of her, steadying her on her feet. Bill ripped a strip of his shirt off and tied it around the wound. He needed to get her medical treatment but he wasn't sure what to do since she would tell the truth. He walked her back to the house, which he had to carry her the last leg of the journey. He laid her on the couch.

After some deliberating he decided to call one of his new friends from church who was a retired first responder. He knew he could trust him.


	24. Chapter 24

It took him a good while to make it back to the house. He hobbled over to his phone and dialed with shaking hands. His arms felt like lead from carrying her. He threw a nervous glance in her direction as the phone kept ringing.

"Dave, it's Bill, my wife got herself hurt pretty bad, could you come over?" Bill huffed into the phone.

"How bad? What happened? Take her to a hospital if-"

"She totaled my car and you know why I can't do that!" Bill growled, sapped from the adrenaline.

"How bad is she?"

"She crashed the car and...got shot..." Bill trailed off.

"What do you mean she got shot? How the hell did she get shot?" Dave demanded.

"We got into a nasty fight. I'll explain more when you get here. She's lost a lot of blood." Bill said in a panic. He grunted as he kneeled beside her.

"Put pressure on the wound and hang tight, I'm on my way." Dave said tersely before hanging up.

Bill wrapped his hands around her upper arm and applied a lot of pressure. Blood had soaked threw the cloth and now coated his hands, streaming between his fingers. "Hang on, baby. Help is on the way. You're going to be okay." He tried to reassure her, tearfully. "Why did you have to do that? Why'd you make me do that? I love you, why'd you make me hurt you?" He cried, the seconds crawling by. He pleaded at Emily's unconscious body. "Don't you fucking die on me!" He commanded fearfully.

There was a knock on the door before a man barged in with a large bag. He dropped the bag on the floor and was already putting gloves on. He pushed Bill out of the way and got to work applying fresh bandages to her arm. "Why didn't you call 911?" Dave demanded. Bill stuttered angrily as he tried to think of a good excuse. "You know why I can't!" He said lamely, glaring down at the two. His hands were caked with her dried blood. Dave held his tongue and undid the bandage since he knew Bill wouldn't get her to a hospital. Fresh blood flowed out of the hole, he cursed under his breath.

"It went right through, she should be okay with time." Dave said irritably. Bill shifted his weight from foot to foot, wincing when he put more weight on the foot that got ran over, trying to calm himself and appear reasonable.

"What the hell happened between you two?" Dave angrily asked as he sewed her gunshot wound closed.

"We got in a fight and she went crazy, attacked me and crashed the car." He said, bristling.

Dave gave him a disbelieving look. "You're not telling me everything, Bill." He said as he moved on to work extracting a shard of glass from her cheek after he finished with her arm.

Bill sighed, his shoulders slumped forward. "She ran off and we have been having problems so I went to look for her when I noticed she was gone. I got out of the car when I saw tracks in the road. She comes out of nowhere and jumps into the car, practically running me over, and crashing the car, not once, but twice. I...I shot out one of the tires..." Bill trailed off when Dave's blazing glare met his face.

"You shot at her in the car? You could have fucking killed her!" Dave snarled.

"Well I didn't shoot her when she was in the car!" Bill shot back. "I mean I went to check on her when after she crashed the second time and I could actually catch up to her." Bill back pedaled. Dave clenched his jaw and continued his work. "So you shot her after you pulled her out of the car?" He asked, barely able to contain anger.

"She got out and ran. I love her so much, I couldn't lose her. I only meant to scare her, not hurt her." Bill said, fighting back tears again.

Dave shook his head. "Is that why you didn't want to take her to the hospital?" He demanded. Bill nodded his head.

"You treat her right, Bill! You're supposed to take care of her!" Dave shouted. "You make it right! I know you two have a rocky relationship, but you don't shoot your goddamn wife." He stood and threw off his gloves.

"I couldn't let her leave me!" Bill admitted in defeat.

"Then make her want to stay." Dave spat, glaring daggers at Bill. The two stared each other down. Dave clenched his fists and took a step closer to Bill. "Don't you ever lay an untoward hand on your woman again or God have mercy on you." He spat before taking a step back. Dave went into the kitchen to clean himself up and to let the tension die down some before returning.

"Let's put her in bed. She should be okay, but she should really go to the hospital. She could get a bad infection." Dave warned as he helped Bill lift Emily. They carefully carried her to the master bedroom and set her down gently in bed. "I'd rather avoid all that if I can." Bill said uncomfortably. Dave gave him a stern look. "I'll pray for you two." He said, shaking his head.

"Thanks, Dave...keep this between us please." Bill said with a tight smile.

"Of course." Dave said tensely and gave him a rundown of what to look for if an infection started and how to care for her wounds.

Dave gave a curt nod and left.

Bill sat beside Emily and stroked her hair with a blood soaked hand. "You'll be okay, Darlin'." She didn't stir. He watched the rise and fall of her chest, listening to Dave's car retreat down the road. Bill leaned down and kissed her bruised forehead. Things would definitely be changing.


	25. Chapter 25

Emily could barely open her swollen eyes. Tears instantly sprang to her eyes when the searing pain in her arm came to the forefront of her senses. Everything ached, sobbing made it worse, creating a cycle of pain. Bill heard her cries and popped in to their room. He knelt down beside her, taking her hand into his. She flinched and pulled her hand away. "Where am I?" She croaked. "Home." Bill said in a comforting voice. Sobs wracked her whole body. "Get away from me, you're fucking crazy!" She cried as she tried to scoot away from him.

Bill's heart dropped from her relentless rejection. His mood soured. He got up and left the room, seeing that she was okay. She wanted space, he would give her space.

Emily laid there for hours, crying on and off. She found the nerve to get up and confront Bill. To her dismay she was shackled again. The pain her upper arm was unbearable. "Bill!" She called for him wretchedly. Bill turned up the volume of the television to drown out her voice. She cradled her arm and made her way out of the room and found him in the living room.

"What the hell man?" She managed to say, her rage fueling her now.

Bill gave her the cold shoulder and kept his eyes glued to the television.

Emily walked in front of it, filling his view. "Why did you shoot me?" She demanded.

Bill stood up and went to the kitchen. She followed him. "Can you give me something for the pain?" She asked the adrenaline already wearing off again.

"You can deal with it." He snapped as he grabbed another beer from the fridge.

Emily broke down crying again and stood there in his way.

Bill dented his beer can and shoved past her roughly, jarring her arm. She cried out.

"Shut. Up." He snarled.

"Please!" She begged, trailing after him.

"You wanted to be left alone, so leave me alone!" Bill huffed and went outside. He threw back his beer and chugged, finishing with a loud belch.

Emily stared at the front door for a few long agonizing moments before going back to bed and crying herself to sleep.

Bill went back inside and grabbed a few beers from the fridge and plopped down in front of the television again. He watched the game angrily as he knocked back beer after beer. Each beer adding to his growing drunken anger. He stewed in his feelings. No more Mr. nice guy. He was going to be the monster she made him out to be.

He abruptly stood, beer cans spilled to the floor with loud clangs. He stumbled to his room. Bill stabilized himself on the door frame before throwing himself down on the bed. Emily let out a startled scream, still half asleep. Bill crawled on top of her and forced her legs apart. Emily let out earsplitting screams as he tried to force himself onto her. The searing pain in her arm added to the terror Bill was inflicting on her. He managed to finally force himself inside of her, grunting drunkenly as he tried to get deeper without any lubrication. Emily cried as she was trapped under his bulk. Bill pressed his sloppy lips to hers, to silence her.

She gagged as he stuck his beer tainted tongue down her throat. She tried to push him away, pissing him off even more. Each thrust jostled her body, making her pain unbearable. She prayed he would finish soon.

He grunted and groaned til he drunkenly finished and rolled off of her. Emily gathered herself and went into the bathroom to hide away from, Bill.

She noticed a little blood staining the bandages. She hoped it would hold. Emily barely had any strength from the day prior. She wished she had run him down in the car instead. She doubted she'd make it out alive at this point. No acting nice would save her this time. She sat with her back against the door, hoping it would keep Bill out.

Emily blinked awake. She was still in the bathroom from last night. Where was Bill? She expected him to come beating down the door any moment now. Emily painstakingly got to her feet. She looked at her bandaged arm and was relieved that it didn't bleed anymore. It took everything in her to keep her composure. It hurt so goddamn much.

She made her way out of the bathroom and into the kitchen. Bill was sitting at the table with a paper. Emily warily crept passed him and got some water. Bill made an annoyed face and ignored her. Emily wasn't sure what to make of his change in behavior. She wanted to kill him dead for all he has done to her. "I'm sorry." She croaked.

Bill huffed incredulously and rolled his eyes. "Bill..." She trailed off, afraid to get any closer to him.

"Do you ever shut up?" He snapped, noisley burying his nose into the paper.

Emily shrank back and went into the living room. She stared tensely at the TV screen, afraid to change the channel and upset him even further.

A good chunk of time rolls by when Bill chucks a box at Emily suddenly. It lands in her lap, eliciting a startling scream from her. She look in Bill's direction before looking down in her lap. It was a pregnancy test. Just what she needed right now.

Her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn't ate in two days now. She got up, shrunken in herself as she passed by Bill, who sneered at her, to the bathroom.

She read the directions and went about doing the test. She cleaned up and waited with baited breath. Would he hurt her if it was the result he didn't want? She stared hopelessly at the test until a plus sign appeared. Emily stared at it in disbelief. She checked it against the box to be certain. Her stomach dropped.

Bill impatiently barged in and yanked the test out of her weak grasp. He inspected it with an unreadable face. His expression softened as he leaned down for a careful hug. Emily stiffened and didn't resist. "We're finally a family!" He said happily, tearing up. Emily wanted to crawl out of her skin. "Yep." She forced herself to say. Maybe now he wouldnt batter her any further?

"I finally got you pregnant!" He gushed. Emily was struggling with his sudden change of demeanor. She tried to feign a smile. Bill put a rough hand on her belly and held it there. "I can't believe I'm going to finally be a father." He said, resting his head on her chest, sobbing.

Emily was afraid of this moment. This was only the beginning of a fresh new hell. She sat there in shock. How did she not even know she was infected with Bill's parasite? How long has it been there? How could she get rid of it? Would he hurt her if she lost it? Many thoughts swirled in her head as her new reality hit. Would acting even matter anymore?

She patted Bill's shoulder fearfully. Bill leaned in to her touch and nuzzled her chest. "I can't believe this day is here!" He said excitedly. He pulled back and beamed at her with a tear stained face. Emily stared back at him with thinly veiled misery. He pulled her into a passionate kiss. She winced when he pulled her closer. Emily tried to keep him happy and kissed him back. She couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't getting out of there alive.


	26. Chapter 26

Emily had been second guessing herself since she had taken the test. She had been feeling off for a while now. Feelings of betrayal clouded her mind. How could her body do this to her? How far along was she? The lines on the test were vivid and bold. How could she not know?

She shook her head. Bill was over the moon with the news, of course. Still he was a little cold to her since her desperate escape attempt, even though she was carrying his parasite. Emily was glad to get a break from him in the bathroom. He had been talking to her stomach non stop all morning. It would have been cringey at best if this was what she wanted. It made her stomach churn.

He had made a point to make her good and nutritious food now. She made herself throw it back up every chance she got, which was easy since her stomach was always violent anymore. She couldn't remember the last meal she kept down. It was odd, the only warmth he had was for the fetus, he was curt and cold with Emily.

She was still finding small shards of glass in her hair. Her face was still very bruised. Bill was not too gentle either. Emily wanted his blood. Her heart pounded as she indulged in another violent daydream. She would get her bloody justice.

Bill barged into the bathroom she was hiding in, eliciting a terrified scream from her. He rolled his eyes. Emily glared at him, pure murder in her eyes. "Can't a bitch have some privacy?" She snarled acidly. Bill huffed, unamused, "I wanted to check on you, make sure you weren't doing anything to hurt my baby."

"Oh its just yours now huh? Come and take it then." She snapped, getting to her feet.

"I'm not dealing with this." He snapped and turned to leave.

"Get back here!" Emily yelled and followed after him.

He stopped and turned about to say something. Emily slapped him, hard enough to turn his head. She went in for another blow, with her nails this time, leaving four bloody streaks on his cheek. The skin stuck under nails. "You don't scare me anymore." She spat.

Bill clenched his jaw so hard she was sure his teeth would break. He shook with rage, clenching and unclenching his fists as he took slow intimidating steps forward.

"I should have ran you over with the car." She egged him on with a mocking grin. "Splatter!" She laughed nastily.

Bill knocked her to the floor without warning, his chest heaving. He punched his fist through the wall, instead of battering Emily further. She laid on the floor sobbing. "Pathetic." He spat. She didn't respond. "To think I chose you for a wife." He said hatefully before stepping over her. Emily laid there crying, her cheek stinging, everything screaming in pain.

Bill left her there and went to grab another beer. He had been day drinking ever since her escape attempt. He was bitter she refused to fall in love with him, angry she kept defying him and trying to abandon him. He tore open his beer and greedily chugged it down. Bill ripped open another one and downed it too. He wasn't in the mood to go car shopping. He was thankful one of the men from his congregation towed his car back to the house with no questions asked. There was no way he wanted to deal with the headache of filing an insurance claim, especially since he couldn't explain away the gunshots without some kind of investigation. He belched loudly, some of the foam coming back up. He swallowed it down with a third beer. He was feeling the buzz, his rage bubbling over. He belched again and went to find Emily.

"Get up you stupid bitch!" He snarled, pulling her up by her hair. She screamed and struggled to get out of his iron grip. "Shut the fuck up, you're always fucking whining and crying for nothing." He yelled, slapping her with his other hand. Emily froze in his hold, trying to her get footing, stifling her cries. Bill mocked her by exaggerated fake crying. Emily shrunk away from him, angering him further. "Gotta get as far away from old Bill as possible huh? Can't fucking stand me huh bitch? Well I can't stand your skank ass either bitch!" He yelled in her face. Emily closed her eyes and prayed for it to end soon.

"Am I finally the monster you make me out to be?" He demanded, shaking her by her hair. Emily swallowed thickly, sobbing quietly. Bill threw her to the floor and began pacing around her. "There's going to be some changes around here." He growled, stomping. "You're going to respect me, whether or not you love me. You're mine whether you like it or not and if you do anything that hurts that little baby." He warned, sliding his finger across his neck.

"Please Bill." She choked out, barely audible. She looked up at him with tearful pleading eyes.

Bill stopped himself from kicking her. He punched the wall repeatedly. "This should be you!" He yelled, glaring daggers at her.

Emily backed away from him until her back was against the bed. "Listen to me." She whispered, shaking uncontrollably.

"Listen to you?" He balked, crouching beside her. She could smell the beer on his breath, her stomach churned.

"Something changed in me." She said, her voice faltering. Bill sneered and looked away for a moment. "When I saw I was pregnant..." She paused, choosing her words carefully. This was a last ditch effort of survival. "I was scared." She sobbed. Bill set his jaw, his teeth hurt. "I had time to think about the...life...growing inside of me." She ran a shaking hand through her matted hair. "I want the very best for it." She said holding back sobs. Bill narrowed his eyes, thinking it was another trick of hers. "You have to stop this. You're not just hurting me anymore." She said tensely. He scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I want our child to have both parents, that love and respect each other. You know Bill if you hadn't done all this, we probably would have ended up together anyway..." Emily tearfully said, her hands in her lap. "Now I know you're full of shit, Emily." He spat, slurring a little.

"Why would you believe me anymore huh?" She laughed humorlessly. "I had a change of heart now that I'm pregnant. I see what you've been saying all along. Is it too late for that, Bill?" She asked, searching his face for answers. Her stomach in knots. "I want to be your wife. I want to be a mom to our kids. Please, let's have a do over." She begged, tentatively reaching for his balled fist. He pulled away, eyeing her suspiciously. "Date me, let's get to know each other, then have a vow renewal or something." She offered, her stomach flopping. She couldn't believe she was begging him for this. His affections were better than whatever the hell this was.

"Do you take me for a fool? You would kill me and my baby the second you got the chance." He snarled acidly.

Emily let the dam break, tears flooded down her face. "I want to be a family." She cried. "I wouldn't hurt our baby, I love the baby. I love you." She cried.

Bill got up and left the room, slamming the door do hard it bounced back open. Emily let out a terrified shriek. She shook and pulled her knees to her chest. Was she that bad of a liar? She wondered in terror.


	27. Chapter 27

It had been a few days since Emily's pleas fell on deaf ears. She tried to be sweet and kind to him, he looked like he desperately wanted to give in before brushing her off and storming out of the room. He had taken to keeping her locked in the master bedroom with nothing to do. The only time she saw him was when he dropped off her daily meals and at night, which was when he would drunkenly have his way with her. She was unsettled when he called her Lenore and said many degrading things to her, choking her at one point.

Emily hated him with every fiber of her being, but lately she was having conflicting feelings. She was confused and lonely. Emily missed her parents, which surprised her. It had been a year or more since she had seen them. Were they thinking about her too? Surely they noticed they couldn't contact her? Or did they forget about her since they had turned off her cell service shortly after she moved out? She shook her head, she needed to get out of here.

Bill dropped off Emily's lunch without a second glance. She stared at it from her spot on the floor. It looked like a salad. She broke and tore into the food. After not eating for a couple of weeks she was too ravenous to keep it up. The basic chicken salad was so good. She finished it quickly.

Emily got up to wash her hands. Bill hadn't allowed her any utensils or even plastic dishes since a few months back.

She got back into bed. She had been so tired the last month, she could barely keep her eyes open half the time. Being with Bill was also incredibly draining. She wondered if he was trying to break her by keeping her in his room with absolutely nothing to do until he came in. Could she speed things up and pretend? Have a huge breakdown? Would he even care now?

Emily was startled awake when she felt the blanket being pulled off. She watched Bill warily. He gave her a dirty look before pushing her down onto her back. He laid his head on her stomach. His stubble pricked and irritated her skin, he smelled of beer and body odor. Emily was mad she was woken up for this annoying shit. Her stomach churned, it was so disturbing to be treated like a walking incubator.

Bill left a barrage of kisses on her stomach before abruptly leaving. He locked the door from the outside and walked away.

Emily felt so dirty, she wanted to crawl out of her skin. She felt infected with his virus, eating her from the inside. She got up and went to take a shower. The shower was dingy and in need of a good scrub. She wasn't even sure if she could get clean in there. The water was a good distraction though.

She wondered how much her body was going to change. She was already feeling unpleasant. He was the one in control, even down to the most personal way he could be. He controlled her body now in more way than one. She let out a wretched sob. This waking nightmare made her wish for death. How can someone be so evil and delusional? Didn't he see her as a real person? She was trapped. She played around too much and is now paying the ultimate price.

She wondered if she was at fault for getting herself pregnant when she was pretending to give things a go? She shook her head. Emily looked down at her bloated stomach in disgust. She was stuck. Even if she did get away, she doubted Texas would be on her side with the anti-woman laws regarding abortion.

She washed her hair, it was so tangled since she had nothing to brush it with. She put in half a bottle of the cheap conditioner and began working on carefully detangling it. Her hair was her baby and she was going to start taking care of it like she used to. It had gotten so long. She hated when Bill would fuck with it. Even he quit taking care of it. There were so many split-ends and breakage now. Not much she could do about that now. She won't let him have everything. Emily swayed on her feet, she had been unwell and light-headed since she had been starving herself. Since this thing was rooted in there good, she was going to do her best to take care of her. She wasn't going to be pregnant forever.

Her hair was so heavy, her arms grew tired and sore from working out the knots. It went down to her hips while wet. A good while later, she finished untangling her hair. She rinsed it well and squeezed the water out carefully. She grabbed one of her old styling products, surprised it wasn't expired yet or thrown out. She worked a good amount of it through her hair and turned off the water. She dried off and scrunched her hair, defining the nice waves and curls.

She hated her wet hair on her bare back. She grabbed one of Bill's sweaters and put it on. Who knows what he did with her stuff? Maybe he locked it away as some punishment? Emily shrugged. She needed to eat and regain her strength. She wouldn't be overpowered anymore.

Bill waved at Dave as he got into his new truck, well new to him. It was a dark green Chevy truck. He was going to take his old car to the junk yard and have it crushed for scrap metal. Having to get a new vehicle wasn't so bad since it was an upgrade. He still wasn't happy about why he had to get a new one or how the salesman kept eyeing his face. He mulled over what she had said to him the other night. Bill wasn't sure what he wanted to do. She did seem sincere this time, but she had the other times too. Though this time there was a certain desperation to her voice. She was also carrying his baby. He analyzed the language she used. She kept correcting him whenever he said it was his. Did she have a change of heart finally?

He didn't want to give her any power over him again. He was the head of the house and he would be respected. She lied too many times. Bill would put her in her place. This little bitch wasn't worth the headache she caused him. Damn his desperation. Still his heart ached to be gentle with her. All she was good for now was making his baby. He shook his head at the coldness of that thought. He didn't really feel that way. Bill let out a heavy sigh. Maybe he would take her up on pleas to be a family.

Bill stopped by a store and picked out a nice colorful bouquet. He would try to make up with her one last time. She wanted to be a family then they would be a family. He didn't want to be like his own father. He would treat his wife right, especially their child. She would need to learn some manners and class. He would take her to church next week after he was sure she wouldn't try anything and embarrass him. He wasn't afraid of her making him out to be bad, they knew how things were, he knew they would take her down a peg if she tried to escape. Most of the wives were quiet and obedient, he hoped Emily would take a page from their books and cook and clean for him.

It would be nice to have a few kids, while he got to sit and watch the game while she cooked. Or watch the kids while he went fishing or out with his friends. He knew she could take care of him in other ways, but would she be enthusiastic about it like when she was faking it? Who was the real Emily? He thought of her as some immature new adult, but there was more to her that he missed out on. He realized he only had the romanticized version of her in his head. He would find the real Emily soon.

Emily jumped when she heard the door unlocking. What could he want? Usually he didn't come back until he was dropping off her dinner, it was too early for that judging by the sunlight.

Bill calmly walked in with a nervous smile. His breath left him when he saw her standing looking at him worriedly. She was wearing one of his old sweaters and her hair looked so pretty. He pulled the bouquet from behind his back and presented them to her. He prompted her to take them when she just stood there.

"They're pretty." She said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I thought about what you said." He said, clasping his hands behind his back.

"Yea?" She asked in surprise, eyeing him suspiciously.

"I want that more than anything. God knows I do. I don't trust you since you've lied to me so much." He said, pacing back and forth.

"One last chance, Bill." She asked, hiding her lower face behind the bouquet.

"Yes!" He rushed to her and enveloped her in a crushing hug. Bill crushed his lips to hers desperately. Emily swallowed bile, this was her last chance, she had to play it right. She mustered the energy to match his passion.

She pulled away breathlessly, "Do you have a vase for these?"

Bill tensed, he still didn't trust her. "Yes, I'll take care of these, Love."

"Thank you." She whispered.

He pulled back when he noticed her wedding band. "Where did you find that?" He asked in alarm.

"It was under the bed." She shrugged. "Is something wrong?"

"No, I'm just surprised to see you wearing it." He said, caressing her hand.

"Why wouldn't I?" She laughed nervously.

Bill shook his head with a smile and kissed her hand. "Let me take care of these." He took them from her and left the room.

Emily followed behind him, surprised he wasn't keeping her locked in the room at the moment. She watched him snip the ends and and put them in a plastic vase from the locked cabinet.

"Does this mean I can use real dishes now?" She asked with a joking voice.

Bill gave her a tense look, " You have to earn that."

Emily blinked, what? "Seriously?"

"As a heart attack." He answered seriously.

Emily stopped herself from rolling her eyes. If only you had a heart attack. "H-How do I earn them back?"

"You'll know it when you do." He said sternly. Emily scoffed and crossed her arms. "I don't want you breaking them and using them against me." He added.

"You have to trust me for this to work." She said with barely veiled anger.

"You have to respect me above all else for this to work, Emily." Bill said, his upper lip twitching.

Her shoulders slumped forward. "I love you." She whispered and went back to the room.

He wasn't expecting that reaction from her. He was waiting for her to throw a tantrum and attack him again. Maybe she did come to her senses? He rushed to their room and pulled her into his arms. "I love you too, baby! I love you so much!" He said as he crushed her to his chest.


	28. Chapter 28

Emily's heart pounded as she got ready to go to this church Bill kept talking about. How could she get their attention or get them to believe her? The past week he had been sickly sweet, and she returned every bit of it, laying it on thick. Her arm was still healing and sore as hell. He had been kind enough to let her wear a sling. He had been none too gentle with her injuries. She couldn't stew on the fact that he had shot her, ice ran down her spine. She shook her head. What kind of church was this for him to be so nonchalant about taking her there? Surely these godly people would rescue her?

She applied her mascara shakily. "Fuck!" She snapped when Bill bumped into her, causing her to poke her eye with the mascara wand. Her eye watered, causing it to run. He gave an insincere apology as he continued to move around her. Emily cleaned it up and waited for Bill to be done before reapplying. When she was sure it was safe to apply it, she did quickly. She screwed the lid back on and applied some chapstick. Emily fluffed up her hair and defined some of the spirals. It was a wavy chocolate brown with defined spirals interspersed, it reached down to the small of her back. She glanced at Bill nervously, who had been watching the whole time. He nodded in approval.

Emily sat on the bed and waited for him to finish up and unshackle her so she could finish getting dressed. She wore a plain maroon dress with a scoop neckline, it went to her mid calf. She wondered if he was going to make her wear anything to cover the deep scars on her ankles. She stared at the scars in despair.

Bill appeared from the bathroom dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a red flannel button up with a gray undershirt. He noted her sullen expression. Emily jumped when he placed his hand on her back. She sighed in fake relief to not create anymore tension between them.

She wanted to just run as soon as he freed her ankle again. Emily shook the thought out of her head. He kept flashing the gun in his waistband all morning to remind her who really is in charge. "Bill, you don't need to keep doing that." She said with an exacerbated sigh.

Bill wasn't sure how to take that. He looked at her suspiciously. Emily screamed internally. "You're hurting my feelings and scaring me." She managed to say calmly. "I'm terrified of being shot again, by my husband..." She looked away and stared at the floor.

Bill set his jaw. He still felt horrible for shooting her but if he hadn't...she would have gotten away. "You would have ran away if I hadn't." He said hotly, his blood pressure rising.

"You were smothering me." She shot back.

"More like you were laying it on thick." He spat, crossing his arms.

"Whatever, just taken this off so I can finish getting ready." Emily huffed, thrusting her leg towards his chest.

Bill pulled the key out of his pocket and reluctantly freed her ankle. She rolled her ankle around, dismayed with the deep red indention. "What do you say?" He said condescendingly, his hands on his hip. "What?" She asked him in disbelief.

"Thank you." He said irritably.

Emily stared at him for a moment before laughing. He stared st her puzzled. "Yeah, okay." She scoffed and got up to finish getting dressed. Bill couldn't believe how she just laughed at him. He stopped himself from bending her over and giving her a good spanking. It could be the pregnancy hormones. He watched her put her socks on, one by one. He couldn't believe she was actually carrying his seed, his child.

Bill hoped the sermon would get her to see the error of her ways.

Emily finished putting on her kitten heels and waited for Bill's approval. He raked hungry eyes up and down her figure before nodding in approval. He wanted to tear off her clothes and make a twin right then and there. Bill took a deep breath and calmed himself. "You look..." He trailed off and pulled her into a long kiss.

He broke the kiss and pinched her cheek. "No funny business." He warned, patting his gun. Emily sighed and rolled her eyes as she walked out of the bedroom. Bill grabbed her arm, a panicked look on face. "Relax, Bill, I'm not going anywhere without you." She sighed heavily. "Damn right." He said, tightening his grip. Emily opened her mouth to say something but shook her head instead, letting Bill lead her to the truck.

"You didn't tell me you got a new car." She said, staring at the truck in shock. She spotted his totaled old car on the other side.

"Yeah, no thanks to you." He snapped.

He held her even tighter as he opened the passenger door and pushed her in. Emily struggled to right herself, her heart pounding wildly in her throat. Bill hastily pulled out a pair of handcuffs from his back pocket and cuffed her to the door. "Is this really necessary?" She asked in annoyance. "You know it is." He spat sourly as he shut the door. Emily struggled to put her seat belt on. Bill got in and started the truck.

Emily put the a/c on blast. Even though it was barely 11 in the morning, the truck was already sweltering inside. Bill was already sweating, some dripped down into his eyes. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand before he got going.

"What is this going to be like? I've never been to a church before except for my granny's funeral." Emily asked, picking at the cloth seat with her nails.

Bill looked over at her in surprise. "Your parents never took you to church? Were they some kind of atheists?" Bill asked in disbelief. What kind of parents would deny their children Jesus?

Emily shrugged, "We just never really talked about it. It wasn't a big deal." She answered truthfully, wondering why he cared so much.

"It is a big deal! I'm so sorry, Emily!" Bill have her a pitiful look, enveloping her hand in his rough one.

"Why?" She asked with thinly veiled annoyance.

"If it weren't for me you would be damned to Hell." He said worriedly, squeezing her hand.

Emily laughed, "Oh, Bill, I'm already in Hell."

Bill squeezed her hand so hard she leaned towards him, her face contorted in pain. "It. Was. A. Joke." She hissed through clenched teeth.

Bill let up and set his jaw, staring at the road angrily. "It wasn't a funny one." He spat.

"Lighten up, you're so high strung. Are you sure you aren't the pregnant one?" She said with a sigh, rolling her eyes. She kept a cool surface. Her eyes were glued to the outside, keeping an eye out for landmarks and road signs. Her heart raced, making her feel overwhelmed and lightheaded. What was this church like? Surely no good if he felt comfortable enough to take her there.

"So what can I expect?" She asked, clearing her throat.

"Just sit quiet and listen to the sermon. I still can't believe your parents never took you to church. We'll be better parents then they were." He said, spitting the last part hatefully.

"I don't see the issue, but okay." She shrugged. She had a sinking feeling about this church. Would they help her? Her stomach was in knots. Should she break out into a run and scream bloody murder or try a more covert approach?

Bill bit his tongue. He didn't want to start an argument. She was going to church thanks to him and their children would know God. He laced his fingers with hers. To say he was nervous was an understatement. Their relationship was rocky on the best of terms. An awkward silence fell between them.

"Think of any baby names yet?" He asked tenderly, coming out more awkward then he wanted.

Emily choked on her spit and began coughing violently. Bill glanced over in concern. "Are you okay?" He asked. She nodded her head as she kept coughing.

Emily took a few breaths and cleared her throat. "I haven't." She said, holding back her snarky response.

"Oh." Bill said in disappointment.

"Have you?" She asked awkwardly, cringing internally.

"If its a boy, which I'm hoping for, I want to name him after me. If a girl then...Susie." He answered, caressing the back of her hand with his thumb.

"Yeaaah I don't like either of those." She said, balling her fist.

"You can name it if its a girl." He said in a snippy tone.

Emily blinked her eyes in that really did you just say that way. "We'll see about that."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked tensely, a dangerous edge to his voice.

"I said we'll see about that." She hit back with more bite.

"I get I say in this too, like you have any better ideas." He snapped with a huff.

"I'm not going to name it something stupid." She sneered. Or anything at all if I have any say in this. She rolled her eyes at the window. Bill nearly crushed her hand in his grip, causing her to cry out. Emily cowered down, her hand aching in his iron grip. He let up a few seconds later after showing her he was the one in charge. Emily wrenched her hand out of his and placed it safely in her lap.

"You need to learn to respect me, Emily. I won't stand for this disrespect anymore." He snarled, his knuckles turned white from how hard he was gripping the steering wheel.

Emily watched as they rapidly approached the first house she saw since they left. It was a good sized house, white with blue accents. She looked at Bill in confusion when he pulled into the driveway next to one of the other cars that were there. "What are we doing here?" She asked, her heart pounding wildly.

"We're here." He said flatly as he put the truck in park.

"This is a house though." She said, even more confused.

"Church is where you make it. Don't embarrass me, Emily. Don't talk unless spoken to and don't cause a damn scene." He said, warning her, he flashed his gun yet again. Emily rolled her eyes. She just wanted to get inside and scream for help. Bill got out and came around do her side. He opened the door, pulling Emily out of the truck with the door. "Hey! I'm still attached to the door." She snapped as she got her footing. Bill sighed and unlocked the cuff on the door then attached it to his own wrist. "You're kidding." Emily said miserably.

"No, behave." He said, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"You said don't make a scene but this is." She threw up their hands for emphasis.

"I told you, everyone understands our unique situation. Now give me a kiss." He said, leaning down to kiss her. Emily gave him a quick peck and sighed heavily. Bill grabbed the back of her head and forced her to kiss him longer. He let her go once he was satisfied. "I love you." He said in a softer tone that sounded almost forced. "Let's just go." Emily said, eyeing the shirt pocket he put the key in. Bill set his jaw and led her to the door.

Emily could barely hear over her pounding heart. She couldn't remember the last time she saw another person. This was her chance. Bill opened the door for her and shuffled her inside. The inside was generic farm house decor. She heard people talking when a man came from what she assumed was the living room to greet them.

"Brother Bill!" He greeted enthusiastically, shaking Bill's hand with vigor. "I see you finally brought the wife." He said, giving a passing glance to Emily. The man was taller than Bill and wore an unbuttoned denim shirt with a black undershirt and a pair of dark jeans, he was looked to be early forties with a clean shaven face and close cropped brown hair.

"This is Emily." Bill introduced her to the man, tensely.

"It's nice to finally meet the little handful. Hope you're not causing Bill too much trouble anymore. I'm brother Brad." He said not waiting for her response. Emily pleaded with her eyes. Someone had to help her.

"Nice to meet you too, Brad." She managed to say over her hammering heart, she swallowed thickly, shaking her wrist, trying to bring attention to it. Brad looked down but said nothing. Bill slipped his hand into hers casually. Emily wanted to charge into the living room and scream for help. She followed Bill to the living room and sat when he did, on a large brown leather sofa. They were sat next to another couple, Emily on the end and separated.

"Is this the little trouble maker?" Another man laughed, eyeing Emily with a critical eye.

Bill raised his brows and nodded. "She has been a handful, but she's settled down." He said, giving her hand a squeeze. Emily wondered what the hell Bill told these people, especially since they didn't bat an eye to the cuffs.

Emily began hyperventilating, shaking her head, tears leaked down her face as blood crashed in her head. In a room full of people and she couldn't say anything. "What's wrong with her?" One of the men asked. The women watching silently. "She's just overwhelmed." Bill said, a warning in his voice as he squeezed her hand hard. Emily shook her head violently.

"He's fucking crazy, he's kidnapped me, help me!" She lost her nerve and screamed, damning herself.

Bill popped her in the mouth, blood dripped from her mouth as she screamed for help. She snatched the key from Bill's pocket and sprang to her feet only to be stopped by Bill's arm. She struggled to get the key in the lock as Bill and a couple of the other men intervened and restrained her arm, digging the key out of her fist. "No no! Help me! Please!" She screamed, dropping her weight.

"Let her cry it out." Brad said sourly.

"Please, I've been kidnapped and held prisoner. Call the police!" She pleaded, screaming at the top of her lungs. Everyones eyes were fixed on Emily as she writhed on the floor. A few of the others watching shook there heads.

"What is wrong with you?! Help me!" She screamed. Yanking against the cuffs, pulling Bill's arm painfully. Blood dripped from both of their wrists.

"Help me!" She screamed, sobs wracking her body, her face wet with tears, snot, and blood.

"This one is feistier than Lenore, no wonder you cuffed her to you." One of the men said after he let go of Emily and handed Bill the key back. "You need to show her who's in charge or she's going to keep acting like that."

"Hon, clean yourself up, you're embarrassing your husband." One of the men on the love seat said.

"Who cares?! I need help! He's a monster! He kidnapped me! Are you people fucking deaf?" Emily screamed, struggling to pull her hand through the cuff.

"We all heard you loud and clear. Get up and have some respect for you husband and yourself. Tantrums are unbecoming of women." Brad said sternly.

"He's not my husband!" She yelled, getting to her feet, pulling against the cuffs with all her might. Bill pulled her down to the couch and crushed her between him and the couch end.

"You married him before God and many witnesses. You're stuck with him whether you like it or not, whether you wanted to marry him or not, you are joined to him for life." Brad said, taking a breath.

"What about his last wife then?" Emily demanded, icy fingers trailing down her back as her stomach dropped.

"She committed a grave sin by leaving her husband. You need to learn your place, woman." Brad spat.

"Emily, sweetheart, calm down, you have a good husband. You're making him feel unloved and unwanted by bad mouthing him. Apologize to him and reassure him that you love him." Dave said, standing to the side of the living room. He had black hair that was greying, a weathered face, and a plain maroon button down shirt and dress pants.

Emily's eyes bulged out of her head. He couldn't be serious.

"Go on, apologize to him." Brad demanded, his arms crossed over his chest, looming over her.

Emily looked around them room in disbelief, pure terror etched on her face, no one looked to have taken her side. She stared at Brad in shock. "Help me." She pleaded. His hard cold glare broke her. Emily reached for the gun in Bill waist band. Bill grabbed her hand before she could grab it from under his shirt. "Just fucking shoot me, I don't care anymore!" She screeched.

"Brother Bill, give her something to believe in." Brad commanded coldly.

Bill slapped her so hard she saw stars. Emily cried and curled in on herself, her arm screamed from all the movement. All faith lost in other people. Her cover was blown, she was scared of what punishment he would dole her. Emily saw no other way out. She was crushed in Bill's arms. "Bill, I'm..." She sobbed. "I'm sorry." She whispered to him. Bill glared, he had a feeling this is how things would go.

"Do you accept her apology?" Dave asked, seeing things calm slightly.

Bill set his jaw. "I'll need some time." He managed to say.

"Things will get better, you have to work with him." Dave said, patting Emily's shoulder before taking a seat in one of the chairs in the corner.

"I ask everyone to be gentle with sister Emily. She's having a hard time adjusting. She just needs a little more time and gentleness." Dave said, hoping to calm things down and dissolve the tension in the room. Whispers filled the room, Emily hid her face in the back of the couch. Bill swallowed his rage and stroked her forearm, scaring her even further, trying to calm her. He shushed her quietly and kissed the back of her head. Emily wasn't sure what to make of this. Her stomach churned, she was utterly fucked.

"We'll go on with the sermon today. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Ephesians 5: 22-23." Brad started, looking pointedly right at her, earning a Emily a few glares from the other women there.

Emily sobbed as everyone ignored her. How could they condone this? She was forced to marry, who cares what this god asshole thought. She was trapped, no doubt sure Bill would never let her see the light of day again. Brad's words blended into the background. She didn't want to hear the garbage he was spewing. This wasn't church, this had to be a cult, she concluded. Fuck Dave and his apology bullshit, fuck everyone that watched her and didn't help. Was this really her life now? Bill loosened his grip on her and passively tried to comfort her. He would deal with her later when they got home.

Emily was startled out of her thoughts when everyone started talking again. Was it over? She lifted her head and dried her eyes with the back of her sleeve. The men were talking animatedly while the women were talking quietly amongst themselves. "Is this a fucking joke?" She croaked in quiet disbelief. She noticed eyes burning through her. The group of women were staring at her and whispering. She mouthed help me to them. They shook their heads at her.

Emily took a closer look at them, a few of them looked closer to her age, but she felt like she was possibly the youngest. All of them were heavily pregnant and a couple had young toddlers on their hips. Was that her fate? Why wouldn't anyone help her? They clearly heard she was kidnapped. Bill wasn't kidding when he said they were in the know. Her shoulders slumped forward what was the point of fighting anymore?

"Why don't you take her home and set her straight?" Brad said as Bill helped Emily to her feet. Ice ran down her spine.

"She'll get whats coming to her." Bill said sourly.

"Good, see you soon brother Bill. Don't let her give you a hard time." Brad said before turning to another member.

Bill pulled her out the door and too the truck, saying goodbyes along the way. Dave watched the two intently as they left. Emily dragged her feet, worried about being trapped in the truck with him. She got in after he opened the door for her. Bill took the cuff off himself and put it on the truck door. His wrist was sore and bloodied. He shut the door carefully.

He got in the truck and locked the door and windows with via the parental controls. Bill didn't say anything as he backed out of the driveway and pulled onto the road. Emily waited a few seconds before trying to throw the door open, she yanked on the door handle several times, screeching and yelling. She tried the window to no avail. Emily began hitting the window with the cuff on her wrist, but she couldn't muster enough strength in that arm. She slid down in her seat sobbing.

Bill shook his head and clutched the steering wheel angrily. What was he to do with a wife that hated every fiber of his being? He couldn't get the last one to stay in love with him and this one never loved him to begin with. He glared at the road miserably. Would he never have the happy family he dreamed of?

"Whoa!" Bill hollered when Emily jerked the wheel, causing him to swerve into the other lane and almost off the shoulder. He got back into his lane, after he shoved her off. He restrained her arm so she couldn't try that again. " What the fuck, Emily?" Bill demanded, squeezing her painfully hard. She shook her head as she cried.

"Don't shake your head at me! What the hell is wrong with you?" Bill demanded again. "Quit your cryin' and tell me what the fuck your problem is." Bill spat, glancing at her every few seconds. Emily shrugged and shrunk in on herself, nearly hyperventilating. "You made a fool of yourself today, showed your true colors, and I was stupid enough to believe all your little lies." Bill yelled, his nostrils flared.

"You win." She croaked.

"What?" He snarled.

"You win, Bill." She said, her voice raspy.

Bill looked over at her angrily for a seconds before putting his eyes back on the road when her words sank in, stunning him into silence. He cautiously released her arm and grasped her hand gently. "Please don't hurt me anymore." She pleaded brokenly. Bill caressed the back of her hand, his heart ached that he even needed to do those things. "I'll forgive you, Emily." Bill said softly. Emily wondered what he meant by that. "Are you done lying?" He asked. Emily sighed and nodded. "Do you love me?" He asked, tense. "In time." She said carefully. Bill relaxed some, it was better than being lied too or told no, her answer left him surprised. She wasn't sure who was worse, Bill or the people complicit in keep her with him now.

The drive was long and tense. Bill parked in the drive way and hopped out. He unlocked Emily's door and carefully opened it. She watched him despondently. He uncuffed her from the door but left the cuff on her wrist. "Can you take this off too?" She asked in defeat. Bill was about to protest when he saw how low her spirits were. He cautiously took it off and watched her walk into the house, dragging her feet with each step. Bill followed behind her, worried she would try to run out the back door. He was surprised again when she crawled into bed and pulled a blanket over herself.

Bill undressed to his undershirt and boxers and climbed into bed with her, he pulled her to his chest and spooned her. "You're not going to punish me for earlier are you?" She asked numbly.

"No." He whispered, kissing the back of her head. She sighed in relief. "Hey Bill, why did they bring up Lenore?" Emily asked. Bill tensed as he searched for the words. "Probably because you reminded them of her some. She was a nasty piece of work and they don't want to see me hurt again." Emily stared at the wall. How could they just sit there and make her out to be the bad guy? She hoped one of them reported it or something.


	29. Chapter 29

Dave was lost in thought in Mega-Lo Mart. He absentmindedly browsed the aisles, occasionally putting something in his basket. He couldn't shake the scene from earlier out of his head. He wanted to help Emily, but felt powerless by Brad's words. He shouldn't intervene between a man and his wife. Still the desperation in that woman's voice left him deeply unsettled. He didn't like that Brad had said even if it was the case, that God permitted it to happen and to help them come together. He sighed heavily. He doubted Brad when his wife died and here he was doubting him again.

He was startled out of his thoughts when he bumped into a woman. "Oh, sorry miss I wasn't watching where I was going." He apologized immediately. When he recognized her. "Lenore?" He asked in disbelief? He hadn't seen her since she divorced Bill. "Dave." She said coldly before hurrying out of the aisle. "Wait!" He called after her and caught up. "What do you want, Dave? I'm trying to shop." She said in annoyance, glancing around for any sign of Bill or his friends. "How ya been? It's been a few years." He said good naturedly. "I'm well, actually, and you?" She said with a little more confidence. "I've been doing okay." Dave said, an awkward silence fell between them. Dave rubbed the back of his neck. "So have you heard that Bill remarried?" He asked nervously.

Lenore's eyelids nearly flew off. "I haven't." She said dryly. "Yeah, they've been married for I think a year now." He said, noting the concern in her eyes.

"Tell me a little about her." She asked, gripping the handle of the shopping cart tightly.

"Well she's spirited...and uhhh." Dave trailed off as scenes from earlier in the day flashed through his mind.

"She's in trouble isn't she?" Lenore answered grimly.

"No, they just need a little time with each other." Dave said awkwardly.

Lenore gave him a pointed looked. "I have to go, don't tell Bill you saw me." She said and left her cart there and left the store, glancing over her shoulder. Dave stood there in shock. He wasn't sure what he expected, but this wasn't it. He wrestled internally, he heard some of the things Bill did to her through his wife. Thinking back on it, Lenore did look better now than she had when she was with Bill, more alive, younger even.

He shook his head, surely Bill would change for the sake of his new wife? Dave finished his shopping, grabbing a cheesecake on his way to checkout. He was going to stop by Bill's and see if he could steer him into being gentler with his wife. He had never seen a woman breakdown like that before.

Dave loaded up his groceries and got into his car. He looked over at the empty passenger seat and sighed. He missed his wife. Guilt made his heart feel like a thousand pounds. Dave hoped he could talk some sense into Bill. He kept questioning the church, Brad, and everything he thought in the last 20 years. What would he even say to Bill? Dave didn't let on that he was still angry that Bill had dared to shoot his wife for trying to run away, Brad had to be wrong about this one.

Before he knew it, he found himself pulling into Bill's driveway. Dave steeled himself and grabbed the cheesecake.

Lenore looked at the time before calling a former friend. She tapped her foot as the phone rang. Unless things changed, Arthur, her former friend's husband, was at the bar right now meaning it was safe to call. "Hello?" A woman answered. "Jean? It's Lenore, hun, how are you?" Lenore asked, twirling a loc of hair around her finger.

"I'm fine! Pregnant with my sixth right now. How are you? I haven't heard from you in awhile." Jean said, while ironing her husband's work pants.

"I'm well, finally. Congrats darling on the baby!" Lenore said, her stomach in knots.

"Thank you! He was definitely a little surprise, I guess the good Lord isn't done blessing us yet." Jean laughed.

"Yeah...what's this I hear about Bill remarrying?" Lenore finally asked, clutching the phone to her face.

"Oh you just now heard? Apparently they've been married for a year now. You should have been there, Lenore. She was crying and carrying on about being kidnapped or something. Bill even had her handcuffed to him. He must be afraid she'd run away from him like you did." Jean said with a snicker.

Lenore's heart stopped. "Let me guess, Brad stopped anyone from helping her?"

"Brad calmed the situation down and gave a sermon on Ephesians 5:22-33. Some of the other girls weren't too happy about that." Jean said lightly. "Oh baby's kicking!" Jean exclaimed.

Lenore stared passed the wall in disbelief, of course no one moved to help that poor woman or call the police. "What exactly happened, Jean?"

Jean grunted as she fell back into a chair. "Oh that's better." She sighed in relief. "She came into the living room and just had a full on meltdown, begging us to call the police and that she was being held against her will. Brad said to not intervene and that God had brought them together for a reason. So we all sat there and endured it, poor dear had mascara running down her face. Her face looked bruised up too, like they got in a nasty fight, like you and him used to. They'll be okay, Arthur said that Dave was going to stop by and see if he can cool things off." Jean said as if they were casually gossiping.

Lenore had to fight off the impending flashbacks of her nightmare marriage to Bill. She couldn't just sit back and do nothing while he abused another wife. "Does he still live on Rainey street?" She asked.

"They moved actually, closer to where Brad and Stacey are. I'll have to ask Arthur the specifics." Jean replied casually.

"Please do. Can you pass a message to her from me?" Lenore asked, pacing across her apartment.

"Uhhh, I dunno, Arthur wouldn't want me to interfere." Jean said hesitantly.

"Just in passing or a note or something." Lenore begged.

There was silence for a good thirty seconds before Jean replied. "Okay, what do you want to say to her?"

"Uhh tell her to hang on a little longer, help is on the way." Lenore said, her mind racing with ideas on how to help this other woman.

Dave knocked on the door, clutching the cheesecake, waiting for Bill to answer. A minute rolls by, Dave wondered if he should come back at another time. He decided to try one more time. "Hello?" He called out. He waited another moment before turning and leaving.

He was halfway to his car when the door opened. "Hey Dave, what're you doin' here?" Bill asked, eyeing the cheesecake in his hand.

"I wanted to stop by and make sure everything was okay between you two." He said, walking back over to Bill.

"We're doing better now, we made up on the ride home." He said tensely.

"Oh good, mind if I come in?" Dave asked, taking another step forward.

Bill hesitated before waving him in. "I brought y'all some cheesecake, where should I set it?" Dave asked as he took in the rather empty and blank interior. "I'll take that for you." Bill said as he relieved Dave of the cheesecake. He walked into the kitchen and put it in the fridge for later. Dave was startled when he nearly tripped over a chain on the floor. He looked towards the center of the room, it was an open floor plan, and was shocked to see it originating from the center of the house, bolted to the floor. He hadn't noticed it the first time he was over, course it was different circumstances then. "What is this for?" He asked, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer.

Bill struggled for an answer and opted for the truth since he felt comfortable with Dave. "To keep my wife from running out on me." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. Dave wasn't sure what to say to that. He almost blurted out that he had seen Lenore today, but he would keep his word and not say anything, thinking it might affect Emily negatively.

"You didn't discipline her like brother Brad, suggested did you?" Dave asked bluntly?

Bill gave him a look before answering. "No, we had a bit of a heart to heart instead." He left out the part where she admitted that he had broken her.

"She seems to be a sensitive spirit, you need to be gentle and patient with her. With time I'm sure you'll have the marriage you want. Something I wish brother Brad would touch on is that husbands need to also be ask for forgiveness and treat their wives with grace." Dave said, placing a hand on Bill's shoulder briefly.

Bill took in what Dave was saying. If only he knew how much of a brat his wife was.

"Do you really keep her locked up with that thing?" Dave asked worriedly.

Bill shifted his weight uncomfortably. "Yes." He answered tensely, not liking where this was going.

"You need to treat her with more dignity, Bill. She will grow to hate you like Lenore if you keep her chained up like an animal!" Dave said, gesturing to the chain.

"Do you know how many times she tried to run out on me? What I do with my wife, is my business." Bill snarled, jabbing a fat finger at Dave.

"I didn't come here to argue! I wanted to talk to you, brother to brother. Treat her with more care and kindness, Bill, you're going to lose her if you don't." Dave said, his voice cracking towards the end. He shoved his hands into his pockets.

Bill sighed and crossed his arms. "I love her, I gave her everything, more than some young punk could and she still spits on me. I don't get it."

"Bill, I'm starting to believe this was like an arranged marriage." Dave said, treading the water carefully.

"You could say that." He evaded.

"Then you should show her even more grace and patience. She will come to love you." Dave said, Emily's pleas for help still ringing in his mind. "Where is Emily? I want to check her arm and see how it's healing."

"She's taking a nap right now." Bill said coolly, wanting the awkward visit to end already.

A floorboard creaking caught both men's attentions. Emily stood in the door way of the bed room. She recognized the man from earlier. She stared at both of them like a deer in headlights since she was caught eavesdropping. "Ah the woman I wanted to talk to." Dave said, walking towards her. She glanced between Dave and Bill nervously. "Come here, sweetheart, I don't bite." Dave said with an outstretched hand.

Emily walked forward, the chain rattling with every step she took. Dave stared at it in dismay. She stopped a good arms length away. "I want to check your arm and see how it is healing." He said as he approached her. Emily stiffened and looked at Bill in alarm, waiting for him to freak out. "It's okay, Emily, let him look it over." Bill said tensely.

Emily let him, wincing when he took off the dirty bandages. "Have you not been changing these regularly?" Dave asked in concern. Emily shrugged, looking away. He hummed to himself as he inspected her wound. "It seems to be healing well. You're very lucky." He said with a pleaaed tone. Emily dropped her arm to her side. "You're very lucky its not infected. Keep it clean, at this point you can probably leave the bandages off." Dave said with a reassuring smile. Emily stared at him sadly.

She wanted to beg him to have some sense and help her. Emily opened her mouth to say something, then glanced at Bill and decided against it. "I know arranged marriages are tough in the beginning but with work and some time, they can blossom into something beautiful." Dave offered, glancing between the two.

"Is that what you think? That this is an arranged marriage?" Emily asked angrily, taking step closer to Dave.

"Yes?" Dave answered.

"You're either blind or delusional." She spat, glaring at him.


	30. Chapter 30

It had been a few days since she had ran into Dave and talked to Jean. Lenore's mind was plagued with runaway thoughts on this other woman. She needed more information before she could do anything to help her. Flash backs of her own time with Bill haunted her.

Lenore decided to bite the bullet and call Dave. Her finger hovered over the dial pad in uncertainty. Would he help her this time? Bill had a way of turning everyone against her. She quickly dialed his number and prayed it hadn't changed. Lenore paced around her apartment as the phone rang.

"Hello?" Dave answered

Lenore froze in place, her mouth going dry.

"Hello?" Dave asked again.

"Dave, its Lenore." She said shakily.

"You okay?" He asked, noting the tremor in her voice.

She cleared her throat and went back to pacing. "No, actually...I keep think about Bill's new victim. Where are they? I heard they moved."

"Lenore..." Dave was about to defend Bill when he thought back to the visit. "Actually I'm a little concerned too. When I was over there a few days ago it was such an oppressing atmosphere. I thought they were in an arranged marriage or something but Emily said I was delusional for thinking that and then Bill basically kicked me out after that." He said, growing ever more concerned.

"He probably tricked her into marrying him. Can you tell me anything else, Dave? I think she's in danger." Lenore said, lighting a cigarette.

"He keeps her shackled on this long chain." Dave said after a long pause.

"He what? Dave call the police right now!" Lenore demanded, throwing her lighter.

"I can't! I really shouldn't be talking to you right now." Dave said nervously.

Lenore stomped her foot angrily. It was his fault she was ever dragged into that damn cult. "Dammit Dave, I can't believe after all these years he joins your damn cult and uses it to torture another woman. You're complicit in this whether you like it or not. Help me rescue this woman or so help me!"

"Lenore I want to help, but I think they are making progress." Dave struggled to answer.

"You never knew Bill like I did, the real Bill." Lenore hissed.

Dave was silent, contemplating what to say.

"Give me their address at least." She pleaded, afraid she was losing her only link to them.

"I-I can't. Bill's changed and you're just going to stir up trouble like you always do." Dave said before hanging up.

Lenore stared down at her phone before throwing it on her bed. It bounced off and onto the floor. Furious tears flooded down her face. She cursed Dave to every deity she knew of.

She was terrified of potentially facing Bill again, but she would if she had to save this other woman. Lenore cursed, she forgot to ask her name. She shook her head and snatched her sleeping pills off the nightstand and swallowed them with the bourbon she kept by her bed. Lenore couldn't sleep through the night or even get to sleep without a little help. Bill left her with some dark demons. If she was going to be any use she had to get some sleep. She had a few errands to run tomorrow.

Dave shook his head. He was surprised Bill had found his church online, let alone joined after all this time. He seemed like he changed for the better. The nagging thoughts of the shackle and gunshot left him shaken. He wanted to believe Bill had repented. He would visit them more and see if he could guide them both towards the light.

Emily miserably folded the clothes while Bill watched TV. She was tired and bored out of her skull. It had been a mind numbingly long day. Dave had stopped by earlier and talked to Bill outside. She asked Bill what that was about but he evaded the question.

She sighed heavily and went to put away the laundry she had just finished folding. Emily quickly put them away, glad to be done with that. She looked out the window and saw a few stars. Not wanting to draw any attention to herself, she quietly opened the window and poked her head out. It was a beautiful night. A few lightning bugs blinked in the the distance.

It was relatively peaceful. It was the first time she had been able to relax since the whole ordeal. She gazed up at the sky in awe, hoping aliens would come down and abduct her from this nightmare.

Once Bill's show was finished he looked around for Emily. She hadn't returned since she went to put the laundry away. He walked to his room, farting loudly along the way. Emily grimaced and climbed out of the window, barely enough chain to put her foot down. Hearing the commotion Bill raced over to the window. He leaned over and looked down, squinting from the sudden darkness. "What do you think you're doing!" Bill demanded. She was laying in the grass.

Emily sighed quietly. "Getting some fresh air." She said, looking back over her shoulder.

"You're dirty now." Bill grunted as he leaned further over the window sill.

Emily gave him a look. "So?"

"So you'll need to take a bath before getting in bed." Bill snapped impatiently.

"Oh, you must be horny then." She said in a deadpan voice, rolling her eyes.

Bill flushed even redder, no thanks to the beer. "Come inside and get cleaned up." He said, jerking the chains a few times.

"Or you could just come to me." She said disinterestedly, playing with a blade of grass.

Bill sighed as he climbed through the window, losing his balance and eating the dirt. Emily looked at him in annoyance. "Are you okay?" She asked insincerely.

"I'm fine." He groaned as he crawled over to her.

"I'm not in the mood tonight." She said, recoiling from him.

Bill huffed, cuddling up to her. "What if I got you in the mood." He said in an attempted seductive tone. Emily looked away and made a face. "Just do what you want." She sighed. Where were the god damn aliens? Bill excitedly groped her as she glared up at the stars.

He rolled off of her when he finished, gasping for breath. Emily rolled her eyes and scooted away. She placed her hand in his so he wouldn't complain.

A shooting star streaked across the inky sky, exciting her momentarily. She kept her eyes glued to the sky until she hear a loud snore beside her. She lifted her head and sure enough he was out.

Emily carefully got to her feet and quietly climbed back inside. She shut the window carefully, stifling a laugh. He was locked out now, with no clothes. She knew he would be furious when he woke up but it was too good to pass up on.

Now she could explore some of the house unbothered, maybe find a key or weapon, or the phone. Where would he keep his cellphone? She crept to his office that he kept locked at all times. Surely he had a key to get in somewhere, but where would he keep it?

She spent all night searching high and low, managing to find a small notepad and pencil in the couch cushions. Where did he keep that god damn key? It had to be in the house, right?

She gave up her search as the sun began to rise. Emily was exhausted and nervous now. She looked in every nook and cranny she could get to and came up empty handed. She plopped down in one of the dining room chairs and put her head in her hands. Now what?

She sat there for several minutes, it all seemed so hopeless. She decided to look through the mail he left on the table. It was just a few store ads and some junk mail. Nothing important. An idea struck her, she grabbed one of the letters and stashed it under the bed with her notepad and pencil. She scrawled a message on the front, saying name and that she had been kidnapped, drawing an arrow to the address, saying that is where she was being kept. Hopefully this would get some sort of attention when the time was right.

She jumped, knocking her head in the bed frame. Bill beat on the front door, screaming her name. She held her head and writhed for a few minutes, trying to ignore Bill's ever angrier yells.

She tucked her stuff out of sight and steeled herself as she went to open the door for him. "Sorry, didn't want to wake you." She yelled through the door, hand hovering over the lock.

"Let me in right now!" He demanded, pounding on the door.

"What's in this for me?" She asked coyly.

"Open this god damn door, Emily!" He roared, destroying what nerve she had.

"I'm scared! Please don't hurt me!" She pleaded, her heart pounding.

"Open. The. Door."

Emily swallowed thickly and let him in. He barged in, hand raised to back hand her.

"I'm sorry!" She cowered away from him.

"You're going to be." Bill said as he slammed the door behind himself.


	31. Chapter 31

Emily backed away from Bill like she was social distancing. He advanced toward her, sand falling off him. "Bill, honey, it was just a prank. I didn't mean anything by it." Emily squeaked, keeping her distance. Bill bared his teeth as he kept advancing towards her. "Please calm down, I'm sorry!" She tried again. She screamed as she fell backwards, having tripped over the very thing that kept her tethered there. She landed with a loud smack.

Bill pounced on her, grabbing a fistful of her hair, glaring at her as she writhed beneath him. All he could see was red. He let go of her hair and wrapped his hands around her throat and squeezed. Emily tried in vain to peel his hands off, black spots filled her vision as she struggled to get a breath. "You're life is in my hands." Bill snarled, mere inches from her face. Emily slapped at his face, her strength fading. Bill held on for a few more seconds before releasing her. She gasped and coughed. Her head ached. "You better fucking respect me." He warned.

Bill got off of her and left her on the floor. He got a beer and came back, upset she was still on the floor where he left her. Emily curled up into the fetal position, shaking. Didn't he know or care that all this stress and trauma was bad for the child? Emily wrapped her arms around her midsection. She blew it. Tears spilled down her cheeks what was she to do now? Bill glared at her, annoyed she was still on the floor. "Pick yourself up, woman." He spat, sloshing his beer. Emily was afraid to look up. He hadn't bothered to get dressed. "Get up." He snarled as he pulled her up by her hair. Emily shrieked and scrambled to her feet, her scalp screaming. He let go, a few strands of hairs wrapped around his fingers. Emily stared at him in terror. He took a passive aggressive sip of his drink. "You're like that good for nothing ex-wife of mine." He sneered, denting his can. Emily sobbed in terror, ready to flee.

"Stop your fucking crying before I really make you cry!" Bill screamed, his face beet red, the vein on his forehead bulging. Emily choked on her own spit and scrabbled to the guest room, slamming the door behind herself. Bill stomped after her, spitting curses.

"You're on thin fucking ice, bitch!" He yelled belligerently, pounding on the door. Emily threw her weight into the door to try to keep it shut. He managed to force it open, like his old football glory days. Emily made unintelligible sounds of terror as she backed away from him. "You just love pushing my buttons. Love pissing me off." Bill snarled in her face. Emily dropped to the floor and curled into a fetal position. He scoffed in disgust before leaving the room, slamming the door so hard it bounced back open.

Emily sobbed quietly on the floor, too afraid to move. "I hate my life." She cried.

"Get in here woman!" Bill barked a few minutes later. Emily couldn't find the strength to make her body get up. She cried there pitifully. Bill stomped back into the room to find her still on the floor. "Get up!" He yelled and yanked her up by her arm. She curled in on herself. "What are you scared of me?" He sneered. Emily didn't respond. Bill shook his head and dragged her to the kitchen. He roughly pushed her down in a chair he had pulled out for her. He began ripping the brush through her severely tangled hair. She hissed and winced as he tore through her hair. She heard several strands snapping with each stroke of the brush. Tears fell down her face as she eyed the scissors a couple feet away from her.

Bill managed to rip a few tangled balls of hair out, he threw them on the floor. He picked up the scissors and cut haphazardly close to her scalp. She felt him tugging large chunks of her hair and the sound of the snipping. She sobbed, feeling helpless. "Why are you crying? You don't even take care of it." Bill sneered. He roughly turned her head in different angles before grabbing the clippers. He turned them on, the sound startling Emily. She braced herself. She flinched when the met her scalp. It felt so alien to her. She quieted, accepting it numbly, her head throbbing.

Ten minutes later he was done. Bill inspected his work, once satisfied he shoved her out of the chair. "Clean up your mess." He snapped as he went to grab another beer.

Emily scooped up the hair with her hands and threw it away. She touched her head, it was sandpapery. "You look like a fucking dyke." He slurred.

Emily said nothing as she kept rubbing her scalp, it was a strange new sensation. She felt colder too. At least now he couldn't yank her around by her hair anymore.

"Sorry for being a burden to you, Bill." She whispered quietly.

Bill scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"I love my new haircut, thank you." She said with a dead smile.

Bill clenched his jaw. "You're not supposed to like it!"

"I know, dear." She said hollowly.


	32. Chapter 32

Bill had been colder and more distant since he shaved her head. He was a little confused and freaked out by her reaction to it. Since then she had turned to the wife he had wanted with a dead smile plastered on her face. It was unnerving. Bill took another sip of his coffee, unable to concentrate on the morning paper. He would need to work on the nursery soon, she was getting further along in the pregnancy.

Bill jumped when he felt Emily's gentle hand on his shoulder. "Good morning my love." She said in a soft, hollow voice. She had that creepy grin plastered on her face again. "Morning." Bill managed to grunt. She looked creepier with a shaved head. He was expecting her to scream and cry...not thank him for it.

He put the paper down when she sat across from him. Emily placed her hands on top of his. Bill grew angry, "Stop looking so fucking creepy!" He snapped, recoiling from her. "That's rich coming from you, love." She said her eyes flashed dark. Bill made a face and got up to cook since he still didn't trust her. Could he ever?

"You look stupid with no hair." Bill snapped.

"I wouldn't know since we don't have any mirrors in the house. It can't be that bad, dear, it was your trade after all." She said in a dead sickly sweet voice.

Bill grit his teeth, this was becoming more hassle than it was ever worth, even the unborn child he had desperately wanted for years. He was unhappy. He continued to cook, growing ever resentful, it should be the other way around.

Emily took his still warm coffee and sipped it. Watching him. It had been too long since she last had any, even if he did take it too sweet. She felt so exposed without the thick wavy curtain of hair. She couldn't stop touching her scalp, it felt so weird, the hair left had softened some after a couple of days. It kind of hurt to lay her head on a pillow too. Emily was dying to know how she looked. Bill had kept reassuring her she was ugly as sin. What he didn't know was that he had actually unwittingly gave her a gift now that he couldn't yank her around by her hair anymore. No one would.

She took another sip, half expecting him to burn her hands on the stove or something. He was getting more and more violent. She scoffed quietly, maybe she did break his heart. What did he even expect.

"Are you going to take me to a doctor so we can make sure the baby is okay? Or maybe find out the sex?" Emily asked softly. Bill tightened his grip on the spatula. "Bill?" She called his name in sweet haunting voice.

Bill sighed heavily. "Yeah sure."

"Oh good! We need to pick out names." She said, feeling something crack inside of her.

Bill turned around and glared at her. "Do you enjoy toying with me woman?"

"No dear, I was just asking you an important question."

"There it is!" He pointed, "This is an act too."

"Believe me, love, this isn't an act." She said hollowly. Bill narrowed his eyes. "I've finally seen the light." She giggled, a hint of aggression behind it.

Bill finished up cooking and threw it on a plate before slamming both plates down on the table. "Careful dear, you almost threw all your hard work all over the table." She said quietly. Bill grumbled something she couldn't quite make out.

They both ate their meals in cold silence.  
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A few days had passed. Bill was still creeped out by her but he tried to accept it. He entertained the thought of taking her to church again but quickly squashed that idea, still embarrassed from last time. Bill decided he would take a trip to Arlen and visit the guys, it had been too long. He regret moving sometimes. He felt a flash of resentment in his chest.

"Emily!" Bill called for her.

"Yes love?" She said sweetly as she came from one of the empty guest rooms.

"I'm going to go visit some friends today." He said, thumbs in his pockets.

"Oh! What time are we leaving?" Emily asked excitedly.

"There's no we, just me." Bill said sternly.

"Oh." Emily deflated.

Bill rubbed the back of his head. He grunted when she threw her arms around him. "Be careful love, and have fun." She said with a dead warmth.

"Yeah..." He said before pulling her in for a kiss. Emily leaned in to the kiss and returned it. He pulled back. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"Never better."

"Okay, we'll I'll see you later..." Bill said before briskly walking out of the house.

Emily watched him leave from the window. She hummed quietly to herself. A glance at the clock told her it was time to find the cat again since it usually showed up by now. Emily grabbed the last can of tuna from the pantry and opened it. With her being chained up, Bill didn't care about padlocking the doors anymore. She heard soft meowing as she opened the back door. "Hello baby!" She cooed softly, a bright smile on her face. The cat meowed again and walked closer. She took a bit of tuna out of the can and offered it to the cat. The orange tabby hesitantly took it from her fingers.

Once it gobbled up the small piece it came back for more, licking the juice off her fingers as he eventually took the chunk. Emily stepped back some, holding out another piece. She did this until the cat was a couple of feet in the house and clear of the door. She quickly shut the door, trapping the cat inside with her. "Now Mr. Sprinkles, I have a mission for you." She said. The cat rubbed against her leg, wanting more tuna. "In a moment, I'll be right back." Emily walked to their room and grunted as she crawled halfway under the bed. She retrieved her message, now to attach it to the messenger. Mr. Sprinkles looked well fed so he had to have an attentive owner. She grunted as she crawled back out from the bed and got to her feet.

The sound of the chain startled the cat as she made her way back to it. "It's okay!" She cooed, trying to soothe it. She sat back down with the tuna and tried to coax the cat back to her. It took awhile but the cat did come to her. She carefully pulled it into her lap and managed to tuck the piece of mail with her message on it into its collar before it protested too much. "You're a really nice cat, you know that?" She cooed.

She let it have the rest of the tuna, hoping it would go home soon. This was her last hope. Emily popped the seam of her dress and pulled out a piece of string before snapping it. She pet the cat before carefully tying the letter to its collar so it would be more secure. She made sure it didn't make the collar too tight for her little friend. "God I hope this works." She whispered out loud.

She put the cat outside and prayed it would go home. "Go home now, Mr. Sprinkles!" Emily instructed the cat. The cat lazily walked to a sunny part of the porch and laid down. "No! Go home!" Emily shouted, clapping her hands. The cat looked at her before closing its eyes. "Just don't be here when he comes back, please!" She pleaded with the cat.

Emily sat at the back entrance with the door open for a few hours, watching the cat.  
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Lenore paced back and forth at her apartment. She had been trying for over a week now to find where Bill lived. Everyone she called would give her the cold shoulder or run around. She had a bad feeling and needed to help this other woman out. Who knows what that brute was doing to her? Dave wasn't much help at all. Saying how Bill had turned a new leaf and all. Dave was a fucking enabling moron, thought Lenore.

What was she to do now? This woman sounded like she was in real danger going off of what she herself had to endure for all those long years. She was still rebuilding her life while that pig got to keep everything. She couldn't even go back for her belongings after she escaped that fateful day. The cops were no fucking help either since they were good ol' boys. She got railroaded in court when he pulled his lies and sob stories. No one believed her. She lit another cigarette. She wondered if he just tossed her family heirlooms she had to leave behind. At least she made out with one of the most important things, her life and mother's ashes.

Her life, as shitty as it is now, is lightyears better than being stuck at Bill's mercy. She had to save his new victim. She combed through another phone book, hoping he wasn't unlisted. He certainly didn't have social media like the boomer he was. Why did Nancy have to be so tight lipped! She cursed.

Lenore Dialed Dave's phone again, and again it went straight to voicemail. "God fucking dammit Dave, pick up the phone!"

She was at a loss of what to do now. Lenore took a long drag on her cigarette and cried.  
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Bill arrived at his friends, surprising Hank when he pulled up into the driveway. They greeted each other like no time had passed at all.

Soon all four of them were drinking in the alley.

"Like old times huh." Hank said before opening another beer.

"Yup."

"Yep."

"Mhmm."

Dale lit a cigarette. "Nancy told me that Lenore had called her a few nights ago."

Bill's eyebrows shot up. "What did she want?"

"Nancy didn't say much. She said Lenore had asked her a few things like where you lived now." Dale said casually with a hand wave.

"That's funny, now that you mention it, She called Peggy earlier this week too." Hank said.

Bill took an uneasy sip of his beer, denting the can a little. "I guess now she wants back in my life now that I have a new wife." Bill said.

His friends shrugged uncomfortably.

"Hey Bill we haven't actually been to your new place." Hank said, scratching the back of his neck.

Bill shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. "We're just now settled in." He offered lamely.

"We're going to be setting up the nursery soon. Would you mind letting me borrow a few tools?" Bill asked after a silent moment.

"Sure, would you uhh, want some help?" Hank asked, excited about a new project.

"Sure, I want to surprise Emily with a cradle." Bill said, with a fake grin.

They talked animatedly about designs and what not for the rest of the afternoon.


	33. Chapter 33

A few days had passed since she had attached the letter to the cat's collar. Mr. Sprinkles apparently hadn't been home in a couple of days when he kept showing up with the letter still on his collar. Emily shooed him away, feeling terrible every time. Today however he showed up, with no letter attached.

Could the cops be on their way? Is someone coming to finally rescue her? She heard the phone ring. Bill had gone grocery shopping or something earlier. It kept ringing until the answering machine picked up. Emily placed her ear on the door, listening in. "Hey Bill. I saw something most concerning on Mr. Sprinkles collar this morning. Seems your little missy is most desperate to runaway. You need to put her in her place and remind her that she needs to be grateful for a husband like you. I'm going to try your cell if you don't call back soon." A familiar voice played over the speaker. Emily's stomach dropped. Well this was just great.

Emily paced back and forth, the chain rattling loudly around her. What now? What now? She was a dead woman. God please don't call yet. She pleaded silently.

Bill opened the door, startling her out of her panicked pacing. She quickly straightened herself out and calmly greeted him. "Bill!" She chirped and pulled him into a hug, sweating nervously. Bill had a few bags of groceries threaded on his forearms. He sorted through the bags between cold food and not. He stuck the non refrigerated food into the cabinet, still in their bags and then stuffed the fridge with the cold stuff that he also left in the bags.

"Bill." Emily called softly.

His smartphone went off. She knew that ringtone, it was Brad's. A sense of dread filled her. Bill sighed as he reached into his pocket. Emily, threw herself into him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Forget that, I've been waiting all morning for you to get back!" She said, pressing herself to him. Bill hesitated before just letting it ring. He wasn't sure what had gotten into her but he was beginning to like it.

He pulled her into a rough passionate kiss and pawed at her swollen breasts. Emily moaned into the kiss, exciting him further. His phone went off again. Bill broke the kiss and went to pull out his phone again. "Leave it." Emily whispered huskily, tugging at his belt. Bill ignored it again and went back to groping her body.

They had pulled each others clothes off when the phone went off again. Bill huffed and dug the phone out of his pockets that were around his ankles. He saw it was Brad. Emily tried to distract him by stroking him. Bill moaned before pushing her away. " I need to get this." He said breathlessly. "Just call him back later!" Emily whined.

Bill put his hand up and answered the phone. "Hello?"

Emily tried to get him off the phone by taking off her dress and putting his hand on her breast. Bill glared at her. "Thanks for letting me, know...I'll be sure to take care of it." Bill said politely, his voice stained with rage.

Emily picked up her dress and took a few steps back. She knew. Bill took a few steps forward, clenching his fists. "I love you, Bill." She said, unable to keep the tremor out of her voice. Bill said nothing as he put her to the floor and had his way with her. When he finished she was laying there crying. Bill stood and stared at her, mulling over what to do with this troublesome woman.

He stared at her swollen belly. She was carrying his child. His eyes softened as he continued to stare. "Please Bill." Emily cried softly. Bill scowled at her, the child would was a part of her anyway, doomed to be a brat. It was a mother's place to take care of it anyway. The thought that it would be waiting for him in heaven comforted him some.

Bill walked to the cupboard and grabbed a roll of tape. He power walked back over to her and laid atop her. Her managed to tape her ankles together while she screamed hit his back. Bill caught her hands, she kept managing to get one free. Bill huffed and decked her in the nose. Emily cried and cupped her face. Bill taped her wrists together as blood leaked from her nose.

Thunder cracked in the sky. It was going to storm soon. Bill picked Emily up and dumped her into the closet. She was a broken crying mess.

He got to work using the wood for the cradle for a new project.

Hours passed. Emily was restless. She had woken up, the smell of blood making her nauseous. She tried the door but couldn't get any grip since he taped socks to her fists. She tried pulling them off with her tea but it was no use. She just had to wait.

Bill inspected his handiwork, satisfied. Now for more work. It hadn't started raining quite yet. He grabbed a shovel and picked out a spot to start digging. He cut through the grass roots carefully and set them aside. He wanted to beat the rain so he hurried.

Half an hour later he called it quits. It was deep enough. He struggled to drag the coffin into the hole he had dug, it kept catching the dirt as he went.

He set in and went into the house to retrieve Emily. He opened the closet door to find her standing there, dried blood above her lip and on her chin and chest. She stared at him pitifully. "That was the last time of doing something like that, Bill...I'm truly ready to give our little family a chance." She said brokenly, she leaned on his chest, looking for some sort of comfort.

Bill began to second guess himself. "You're right, it was the last time." He said hollowly, in disbelief of what he was doing. He kissed her softly before scooping her into his arms. She laid her head against his chest and closed her eyes.

Bill hardened his heart. He was just done with her. He set her on the bed and unchained her leg. Emily smiled hauntingly at him. "Stop that!" He snapped. Her smiled faded into a frown. "I loved you, I really loved you." He said as angry tears fell down his face. Emily gave him a sad questioning look.

He scooped her back up into his arms and carried her outside. He kept his hand over her face so she couldn't see he was carrying her to her grave. "Its nice outside." She said quietly. Bill said nothing as he kneeled, he grunted as he lowered her down. Emily's eyes widened.

"Bruh." She protested, a look a betrayal in her eyes. Bill held her down as he grabbed the lid with his other hand and started to pull it over the opening. Emily came to her senses and began to fight back. "No!" She let out a blood curdling scream. "Help me!" She screamed again as she tried to fight back with her arms still bound by several layers of tape. She kicked at the lid.

Bill quickly released her chest with his hand and yanked the lid on, he hopped on it to keep her in. She pounded against the lid screaming and begging. He reached over and grabbed the box of nails and the hammer he had laid out. He began nailing her in.

"Please don't do this!" Emily pleaded as she tried with all her might to force the lid open. Bill ignored her and went nail by nail til he was at the final few. He paused for a moment. "Things could have been different, Emily." He yelled before quickly nailing the last on in.

He got up and began to fill in the grave.

Emily listened in mute horror as she heard dirt falling on top. She pounded on the lid til her hands were bloodied. "Keep struggling like that and you'll run out of air faster!" Bill shouted at her. Emily quieted down. Who was she kidding, no one was coming for her.

Emily couldn't believe she let him carry her to her fucking grave. The sounds of the dirt began to grow muted. How much longer would she have now? Why didn't she fight harder, scream louder? This was it. This was actually it...she was going to die.

Lenore called Dave again, angry as hell she kept running into dead ends. "Dave you better pi-"

"Hello?" He answered.

"Dave! I have a bad feeling! You need to take me to Bill's!" Lenore shouted into the phone, her long cigarette ash falling onto the carpet.

"Lenore..." Dave sighed on the other end.

"Don't Lenore me, just take me there right now. If nothing is wrong I'll never bother you again." She said in a dead serious tone.

There was silence on the other end, she had to check to make sure he hadn't hung up on her again. "Fine. Meet me at Mega-Lo Mart in 20 minutes." Dave said before hanging up.

Lenore nearly threw her phone when he hung up on her. She leapt into action, he said he was going to take her there, this was her chance. She locked up her apartment and ran to her car. The ride over felt like an eternity even though she was speeding. She parked and waited on Dave, her mind racing. She lit another cigarette.

Where was he? He was already 5 minutes late. Did he stand her up? Lenore was about to hit dial when Dave parked a few spaces down from her. She hopped out of her car and ran up to his. "You're late." She said as she got into his car. "We're not taking your car?" Dave questioned. Lenore gave him a look. "Okay, my car is fine." He said before driving.

"This is ridiculous, Lenore. Brad and I talked and they're just having a rough time." Dave tried to talk her out of this. Lenore didn't want to jeopardize her chance so she held her tongue.

Dave put on some twangy country. Lenore grit her teeth and turned off the radio. Dave shrugged and continued driving. The anticipation was killing her. "Now look Lenore, I don't want you starting nothing, okay." Dave said, giving her a worried glance. Lenore rolled her eyes. "I just want to talk." She stated tightly.

Lenore clutched her bag to her, feeling the weight of her revolver in her lap. She wasn't sure what she was expecting.

"Bill is a changed man. You'll see." Dave tried to reason with her. Lenore was having none of it. She didn't say anything, afraid to upset Dave and him turn around. "Can't you go any faster?" Lenore asked in a strained polite tone.

"I'm going speed limit." Dave said with a shrug.

Lenore clenched her jaw and sighed heavily. She was getting more nervous the closer they got. Bill sure did move a few minutes out.

Emily cried quietly, it was already unbearably hot and stuffy in there. She didn't want to die. Pure icy terror flooded her system, she did her best to not hyperventilate and use up all over her air. It was pitch black in there. She thought it began to rain but she couldn't tell for sure. She could barely hear over her heart crashing in her head and the ringing in her ears. She didn't expect him to murder her like. She figured he would beat her to death or something instead.

She wished she had a countdown clock or something. She tried to shift around but she was taped up good and the coffin was cramped. "God!" She screamed. "I don't want to die." She sobbed. Her head throbbed.

Dave pulled into Bill's driveway. "Oh good, he's home." Dave said as he parked. Lenore got out and marched up to the door, but paused, her mouth ran dry. Rain soaked right through her, her mascara ran. Bill walked from around back and greeted Dave. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Lenore. "I see you've come home." He said.

Dave gave him a weird look, as he opened an umbrella. Bill was drenched in sweat and covered in mud.

"I'm sorry Bill, she wouldn't stop harassing me until I took her here. Just let her talk to Emily and she'll see everything is fine." Dave explained apologetically.

"She's taking a nap right now." He said, evasively a strange look in his eye.

Lenore scrutinized him. "Go wake her up then."

"Lenore." Dave warned.

Lenore grew more desperate. "Why are you so dirty?" She questioned him.

"I was doing yark work, not that it's any of your business." Bill snapped, he rested his arm on the shovel.

"Why is there blood on your shirt?" Lenore asked fearfully, her stomach dropped.

"It's tomato sauce. We had spaghetti for lunch." He spat, rolling his eyes.

Lenore blinked a few times, her blood running cold. "Where's your wife?" She asked quietly.

"I told you, she's taking a nap. If you don't leave I'm going to call the police." Bill warned.

"Take me to Emily, Bill." Lenore demanded, sliding her hand into her pocket.

Rain was pounding down at this point. "Leave or come back to me, Lenore." Bill spat. Lenore swallowed thickly, Dave tried to diffuse things to no avail. Lenore found her feet taking her around back, Bill hot on their heels. "You stay where I can see you." Lenore demanded, taking out her gun and pointing at Bill.

Dave went to disarm her. " Don't touch me!" She hissed, stepping back so that both were in her view. Dave put his hands up and stepped closer to Bill. "Move!" Lenore demanded, motioning with the gun. They complied. She wiped the rain out of her eyes, watery mascara on fingers. She noticed fresh earth about ten feet away from the house.

"Bill what's that?" She demanded.

"I buried my dog!" He snapped.

"You don't have a...dog." Dave said, it slowly dawning on him. Before Bill could say anything else Dave threw a punch, Bill went to hit him with the shovel when Lenore shot at him. He threw the shovel in surprise. She had missed him. Dave was on him, pounding him. Lenore grabbed the shovel and began to dig frantically. The ground getting muddier as the pain pelted down.

She kept digging down until she hit something solid a couple feet down. She kept clearing the lid of mud as Bill and Dave fought behind her.

She was tired and drenched, fueled by adrenaline and determination. Lenore turned and saw Bill strangling Dave. She ran up behind him and swung she shovel at his head, it connected with a sicken smack. Bill went limp and fell to the side. Lenore gave Dave a hand up as he coughed and spluttered. She looked at Bill's body, sure she killed him.

"Help me!" Lenore commanded as she went back to digging.

Dave got on his hands and knees and began clearing mud. They uncovered it after a ton of desperate effort.

Emily heard noise. Was she hallucinating? "Hello?" She yelled.

"She alive!" She heard a woman yell.

"How do we get her out?" She heard a man yell, he sounded familiar.

Emily was dizzy and her head pounded, she felt weak and couldn't focus.

Lenore tried to pry it open with the shovel. Dave took it out of her hands and managed to get a little leverage. He pried one board up partially, it began to crack. Emily was sure she was dreaming now. She was probably dying.

Bill groaned and held his head. He slowly got to his feet. He swayed a little before falling over face first into a puddle of water. He didn't move.

Dave managed to make a hole in the coffin, large enough that they could see her terrified face. Emily sucked in the fresh air. She was surprised to see Dave and this other lady. Did that mean Bill had been arrested or something? "Where's Bill?" She asked, squinting from the rain.

"He's incapacitated right now." Lenore said, looking over her shoulder to see him moving weakly. Ice went down her spine. Now was her chance to finally get justice. Lenore walked over to Bill, leaving Dave to take care of Emily.

Lenore kicked him, he collapsed onto his side from the blow. "Lenore!" He groaned.

She pointed the gun down at his head, her hands shaking. She willed herself to squeeze the trigger. Bill begged pathetically as he kept trying to orientate himself. Lenore glared down at him. "You never showed me any mercy!" She hissed, kicking him again. Bill held his stomach as he laid there.

"What you did to that woman! Your wife! How could you!" Lenore screamed, trying to make herself shoot him.

Emily watched Dave break open the coffin finally. He pulled her out, gasping at her naked, bruised form. She struggled to get her footing while still bound. Dave carefully laid her down and cut the tape off of her. She shivered, the rain and mud were cold and now she was caked in it. Emily cried tears of relief, she thought this day would never come. She thought she was going to die.

She saw Lenore struggling with Bill who was now unsteady but on his feet.

"You've always been a good for nothing cheap slut, Lenore. You're not taking my wife away from me!" Bill snarled as he swung at her. He was confused he didn't hit her, she looked so close. He stumbled forward. "You'll always be a worthless cunt." He snarled. "Shut up! You don't scare me anymore!" Lenore yelled, holding the gun tighter. "You can't even hold the fucking gun right!" He mocked her.

Emily grabbed the shovel and quickly walked over to Bill who hadn't either noticed or cared. "Just shut the fuck up Bill!" Emily snapped before swinging the shovel as hard as she could on his head. His eyes rolled back into his head as blood poured out of his nose. He crumpled to the ground, convulsing. "Oh god did I kill him?" She asked in disgust. Dave was already on the phone with 911.

Lenore put her coat around Emily and pulled her into a tight hug. Emily kept a tight hold onto the shovel in case he got back up again. Lenore sobbed into Emily's shoulder. "It's finally over." She cried. "I just had a feeling, I'm glad I got here in time!" Lenore sobbed. "How did you know?" Emily asked the stranger woman.

Lenore pulled back from Emily and wiped her eyes. "I'm Lenore, I used to be married to Bill." She said.

Emily stood there gobsmacked. "You're Lenore?"

Lenore nodded, looking over at Bill's still body.

"God I know some of the hell he put you through. Everything will be okay now." She said pulling Emily into another hug. "Everything will be okay, now." Lenore said protectively as Dave called 911.


	34. Chapter 34

A few months had passed since that day. Emily walked through the hell of dealing with the police and estate. Lenore was by her side every step of the way. The two bonded quickly over the shit they had endured with Bill. Lenore was horrified with what he had done.

Lenore and Emily decided to live together and moved to a nice apartment in Seattle. Lenore snuck in her bearded dragon, Binky. Emily got a job as barista and Lenore worked from home as a freelance writer. Chain smoking on the incredibly cramped balcony as she typed away.

Together they vetted a couple of couples to adopt the child out to. They chose a really nice couple, Cindy and Mandy, who live on the other side of the city. Emily chose to keep the details of the conception to herself, it was no one's business. Soon she would be free of Bill's parasite and she could get her body back. Even though he had been dead for a few months, it still felt like he was in her life, a ghost haunting her shadow.

When it came time for the birth, Lenore took her to the nearby hospital. Emily was cursing Bill the whole time and complaining about how much it was going to cost. Lenore went ahead and called the adoptive parents to come to the hospital.

The birth took nine hours. Emily forewent the epidural since her mom still complained about hers when she was born. Lenore held her hand when it came time to push. Everything went well. Emily laid back and rested after pushing the child out. The doctors offered the baby to her but she refused and signed her over to her parents. Lenore had a celebratory smoke after Emily was put in her room for the night.

Emily recovered from the birth and got a gym membership. With her new healthy habits, she convinced Lenore to cut back on smoking. Life was finally good again, for the most part. Emily and Lenore worked hard so they could afford her therapy. She still woke up screaming, like she was back in that house again.

While she had a long way to go, she was finally free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Glad to finally have a good ending to this! I guess now I'll be working on Three's Company and possibly a new one. I'm open to suggestions lol. Until next time ~ Amber


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